Nearly forgotten languages are finding new words for Colombia’s dragonflies
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. When researchers began cataloging dragonflies in Guainía, a remote region in eastern Colombia, the scientific record contained only about 10 species. By working with Indigenous communities, they’ve found nearly 120. “When we started, very little was known,” Yiselle…
Researchers in eastern Colombia's Guainía region have discovered nearly 120 dragonfly species, filling in gaps in the scientific record. This diversity has turned the area into a hotspot for these insects. However, the insects' aquatic habitats are facing threats from mining, deforestation, waste, and tourism. Cataloging these dragonflies was just the beginning, as researchers then held workshops to share their findings with local communities.
The problem was that the language of biology was unfamiliar to many participants who didn't speak Spanish or whose knowledge of the landscape came from ancestral traditions. As researchers displayed the dragonflies found in puddles, streams, and rivers, community members tried to identify them in their own languages.
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