Students Cultivate Biodiversity by Building a Dragonfly Pond

The inspiration struck after a trip to Dover Meadows. The Campus Biodiversity group noticed that there were few mosquitos around, even with a big ponding area. They formed the hypothesis that dragonflies were responsible for controlling the mosquito population. And so, an idea took root.

“We had the idea to create a dragonfly breeding pond using the three cement bowls that were originally filled with sand just opposite the bus bay. Our primary objective was to attract dragonflies to breed in the pond as a form of biological pest control. While helping to reduce the mosquito population, it would also increase biodiversity. 

“Our school has diverse terrestrial flora and fauna, but we didn’t have a permanent pond. The pond in the Green Heart often dries up, and having a drain makes it difficult to house aquatic animals. Building a permanent, self-sustaining pond ecosystem could house aquatic plants, shrimps, fish, dragonfly nymphs, and act as a drinking water source for birds and other animals, potentially even attracting more birds to Dover Campus. It could also provide educational opportunities for students in all grades,” said Karan and Hangming, Grade 12 and former Student Leader of the group. 

From Ideas to Action in Sustainability

The students needed to convince the Facilities Department. As Effie shared, this required a detailed process of research, creating sketches, ideating designs and drafting specifications. They had to think about a power source for a water pump, plus the aquatic plants and materials they’d require. They submitted a detailed proposal. 

“After we pitched the idea to the Facilities Department, we built a prototype pond, and saw potential for a long-term project,” said Karan.

A few months later, the plan was approved. The group started with one pond which they were able to maintain for about half a year, and then expanded the pond to the two remaining cement bowls. Through loving, consistent maintenance, continuous development and unwavering commitment, the students created a self-sustaining ecosystem hosting frogs, fish, aquatic plants and the all-important dragonflies. They subsequently received official confirmation that the pond didn't pose any concerns about mosquitos.

“We recently finished building the two other ponds, and what is left now is equally important: the general maintenance. This includes clearing fallen leaves and branches, as our ponds are shaded by several trees, removing unhealthy water plants and replacing them with new ones, such as the common water hyacinth.

"We are also planting more trees around the ponds to provide shade, and planning to add more types of aquatic plants to attract more dragonflies and other wildlife. Additionally, we are currently using a solar water pump which is quite unstable, as Singapore’s weather can change frequently. We are working on finding an alternative that would be more reliable while still remaining sustainable,” said Lydia, one of the group leaders.

The group's research, experimentation, data collection and analysis contributes to a knowledge base about biophilic design, or design that fosters a human connection with nature and enhances wellbeing. The knowledge is being used to improve the Dover Campus environment, and will be useful in the future.   

It's one of the many ripples of impact that the pond continues to generate. Another, can be observed in the way students have embraced this project, as Jamie shares:  “When I first started in this group, I joined purely because I loved animals. However, now our group has become something much more fulfilling. I have seen our project have real-life benefits, and that really motivates me to continue. Our dragonfly pond has brought many animals to our campus, and we have seen many dragonflies and dragonfly nymphs at the pond. Seeing this is really magical to me, this service has allowed me to directly affect the lives of animals that share our campus."