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Dragonflies in distress: Scientists sound alarm in India's Western Ghats

BBC News · · 709 words · By Cherylann Mollan
Environmental Conservation Ecological Research Biodiversity Loss
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
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“A first-of-its-kind study of dragonfly and damselfly species in India's Western Ghats... was funded by the Indian government's Department of Science and Technology and held across two years (2021-2023) and five Indian states”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm the study was funded by the Department of Science and Technology, conducted between 2021-2023, and spanned five Indian states.
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web search NEUTRAL — A new study reveals a decline in dragonfly and damselfly species in India's Western Ghats.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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web search NEUTRAL — The survey recorded 143 odonata species — 76 dragonflies and 67 damselflies — of which 40 were endemic to the Western Ghats. The study was carried out across 144 sites spanning five States, namely, Ma…
https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu-international-9b…
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web search NEUTRAL — A survey in the Western Ghats reveals a 35% shortfall in dragonfly and damselfly diversity, highlighting urgent conservation needs.
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/sur…
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“found that 143 different species of dragonflies and damselflies inhabit the Western Ghats”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including The Hindu and other reports, explicitly state that 143 species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) were recorded in the Western Ghats.
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web search NEUTRAL — The study, which was funded by the Indian government's Department of Science and Technology and held across two years (2021-2023) and five Indian states, found that 143 different species of dragonflie…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The study, which was funded by the Indian government's Department of Science and Technology and held across two years (2021-2023) and five Indian states, found that 143 different species of dragonflie…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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web search NEUTRAL — The survey recorded 143 odonata species—76 dragonflies and 67 damselflies—of which 40 were endemic to the Western Ghats.
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/sur…
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“at least 40 of them being endemic to the region”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that 40 of the 143 recorded species were endemic to the Western Ghats.
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web search NEUTRAL — Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and hav…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damselfly
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web search NEUTRAL — But the researchers also discovered something troubling - at least 79 additional species that were previously reported in the region were not found, an almost 35% decline in the number of dragonfly an…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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web search NEUTRAL — Myristica sapphire is a damselfly species that's endemic to the Western Ghats. "Dragonflies and damselflies are good indicators of the health of a region. Consequently, when their numbers drop, it cou…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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“at least 79 additional species that were previously reported in the region were not found”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources report that at least 79 species previously reported in the region were not found during the study, representing a decline of nearly 35%.
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web search NEUTRAL — Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and hav…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damselfly
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web search NEUTRAL — Myristica sapphire is a damselfly species that's endemic to the Western Ghats. "Dragonflies and damselflies are good indicators of the health of a region. Consequently, when their numbers drop, it cou…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — But the researchers also discovered something troubling - at least 79 additional species that were previously reported in the region were not found, an almost 35% decline in the number of dragonfly an…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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“The Western Ghats - a Unesco World Heritage Site - is a 1,600km-long mountain range that stretches along India's western coast.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre both confirm the Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a mountain range approximately 1,600km long along India's west coast.
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web search NEUTRAL — UNESCO World Heritage Site. Criteria. Natural: ix, x.The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km (1,000 mi) along the west coast of India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats
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web search NEUTRAL — A chain of mountains running parallel to India’s western coast, approximately 30-50 km inland, the Ghats traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. These mount…
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1342/
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web search NEUTRAL — The Western Ghats, which are also referred to as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range running along the western side of India. It was made a world heritage site in the year of 2012 and is also a member o…
https://www.bhavyaholidays.com/blogs/western-ghats-unesco-wo…
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“home to at least 325 globally-threatened species and more than 30% of India's plant and animal species.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this specific claim returned irrelevant information about the 'Western' movie genre and 'Western Union', failing to provide data on threatened species or biodiversity percentages for the Western Ghats.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the fro…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_(genre)
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 19, 2018 · Log in or sign up and create your free profile to send money online. Send money, pay bills, check exchange rates, or start a transfer in the app and pay in-store — all on the go.
https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/home.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to the Best Western Coral Hills, conveniently located in the Historic District of St. George, Utah. We are newly remodeled and offer affordable luxury and quiet comfort within walking distance…
https://www.coralhills.com/
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“In its 2025 report, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rated the region as being of "significant concern".”
CORROBORATED
Both the IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4 report and the 'Dragonflies in distress' article confirm the region was rated as being of 'significant concern'.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km (1,000 mi) along the west coast of India. Covering an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 mi2), it traverses the Indi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats
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web search NEUTRAL — Significant Concern Outlook for Western Ghats.Significant concern outlook means that site’s values and underlying attributes are threatened by several current and/or potential threats, requiring addit…
https://dce.visionias.in/news-today/2025-10-27/environment/i…
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web search NEUTRAL — Unfortunately, the Western Ghats is also under threat. In its 2025 report, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rated the region as being of "significant concern" .
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2107kzyreo
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“An alarming study published in 2025 found that a population of rare galaxy frogs disappeared from the Western Ghats after photographers trampled over their delicate forest floor habitat.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (CNN, ZSL report) confirm that a population of galaxy frogs disappeared due to the destructive behavior of photographers (trampling vegetation and overturning logs).
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web search NEUTRAL — In early 2020, he found seven members of the “magical” species in the Western Ghats rainforest in India, but could not visit them during the Covid pandemic. When he went back later, the frogs had disa…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/17/galaxy-f…
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web search NEUTRAL — A population of rare galaxy frogs disappeared from India’s Western Ghats after photographers overturned logs, trampled vegetation and handled animals improperly, a new study reports.
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/photo-tourism-threatens-ra…
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web search NEUTRAL — Galaxy Frogs are exclusively found in India's Western Ghat mountains, where they shelter in damp crevices beneath rocks, fallen leaves and decaying logs.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/asia/galaxy-frogs-disappearan…
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“A 2024 study found that farming practices in the Western Ghats were threatening frog species in the area”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding a 2024 study on farming practices and frogs.
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“a 2023 survey of birds in the region noted a 75% decline in 12 bird species that were endemic to the Western Ghats.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding a 2023 survey of endemic bird species decline.
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“They discovered seven new species of dragonflies and damselflies”
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“They named one of these protosticta armageddonia”
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“The Western Ghats were formed when Gondwana - a supercontinent that combined present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica - split up during the Jurassic Period.”
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“The Western Ghats are about 150 million years old, older than the Himalayas.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.