Odonates are the charismatic megafauna of the insect world. This makes them ideal candidates for interaction with the public. These interactions engage communities not only with odonates themselves but the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems they inhabit. These interactions can have many benefits both for odonates and their ecosystems as well as the global community. Public engagement via odonates, for example, can increase scientific literacy, increase capacity for scientific data collection through community science, and/or encourage environmental advocacy and conservation. Our chapter provides examples of how odonates are used as tools for interaction with the public and how that can be turned into active participation in science and conservation. We conclude by describing existing barriers to making odonate science globally accessible and steps to address these issues.
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