Mire restoration enhances Odonata populations, with landscape‐level variation across the hemiboreal mire landscape

Abstract Mire restoration is increasingly applied as a conservation tool, yet our ability to predict which species it can support and in which landscape contexts remains limited. We assessed the effects of large‐scale mire restoration, encompassing multiple zones within mire complexes, on Odonata abundance, species richness and species‐specific responses. We used a before–after–control–impact design across six mire landscapes in Estonia, collecting data on both adults and larvae before restoration and up to approximately 5 years afterwards. We found that, overall, restoration had positive effects on Odonata, including species of European conservation concern, although these effects did not always appear immediately after restoration nor uniformly across mire zones. The strongest positive responses occurred in transitional mires (including lagg zones). Larval and adult datasets revealed partially different results. For larvae, positive restoration effects were evident for abundance, species richness and abundance of species of conservation concern. Adults did not exhibit statistically significant trends in those parameters; however, the indicator species analysis identified several species benefiting from restoration measures. No species showed negative response to restoration. Among the species of conservation concern, restoration had positive effects (based on either larval or adult analyses) on Leucorrhinia dubia , Leucorrhinia pectoralis , Leucorrhinia rubicunda , Aeshna subarctica and Coenagrion hastulatum . Our results may assist in planning species‐level conservation actions and predicting ecological outcomes of mire restoration.