A new purpose-built centre designed to protect dragonflies from the threat of extinction, the first of its kind in the UK, has been opened by the National Trust (NT) at Wicken Fen near Ely, Cambridgeshire.

The Dragonfly Centre, which has been developed by the NT in partnership with the British Dragonfly Society and the Dragonfly Project, is housed in a renovated former fen worker's cottage and aims to raise the profile of the insect with one in three British species currently under threat. Volunteers will manage the new centre, which includes a range of displays containing information about dragonflies, while a regular programme of events is set to be introduced, including guided walks and dragonfly safaris.

The threat to dragonflies has been attributed to the loss of wetland habitat such as Wicken Fen, which is home to 21 species, due to development and intensive farming, as well as the use of insecticides and herbicides. Chris Packham, naturalist and BBC Springwatch presenter, said: "The loss of wetland habitat throughout the UK is having a massive impact on the long-term survival prospects for many dragonfly species.

"Since the 1960s, three species have become extinct and a third of the forty-two species found in Britain are under threat of extinction. This is why sites such as such as Wicken Fen are so important in giving many of our dragonfly and other threatened species the chance of survival."