Eva Raebel

Position: Graduate student

Thesis: Ecology and conservation of Dragonflies (Odonata) in lowland farmland in the Upper Thames  

My research is focused on the ecology and conservation of Odonata on farmland and aims to:

1. Produce a database of the distribution and abundance of Odonata populations on the Upper Thames area, concentrating primarily on farmland ponds.

2. Identify physical and biological features of ponds that correlate with good Odonata populations, and also to assess what features correlate with poor or missing populations.

3. Identify what landscape characteristics and management practices are associated with Odonata diversity.

4. Habitat utilisation: movements and roosting sites. The importance of considering farm areas away from ponds for Odonata conservation.  

This project is part of the Upper Thames Project, supervised by Prof. David J. Thompson from University of Liverpool and Prof. David W. Macdonald from University of Oxford, and is funded by Esmee Fairbairn Trust.