This is the first continent‐wide overview of insect diversity and status sufficiently fine‐scaled to be used in conservation planning. We analyze patterns of richness and the conservation status of African dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata), commonly referred to as dragonflies, to determine threats to species and freshwater habitats, location of diversity hotspots, necessary conservation actions, and research gaps. Major centers of dragonfly diversity in Africa are tropical forest areas that include highlands. Most threatened species – as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature global Red List – are concentrated in highlands from Kenya to South Africa (together with the Cape Floristic Region), western Africa (including mountains on the Cameroon–Nigeria border), and Ethiopia. Currently available knowledge can be applied throughout Africa's freshwater systems to help minimize or mitigate the impact of future development actions, allowing dragonflies to act as “guardians of the watershed”. The private sector can be advised to safeguard sensitive habitats and species when selecting sites for development. Key sites and species for monitoring can be identified by checking the distribution of threatened species at www.iucnredlist.org.

Sustainable use of freshwater is globally important. Yet implementation of changes in water management is poor, especially in developing countries. This is an indication that, despite our dependence on freshwater, we lack awareness of the need to protect these systems. Here we promote dragonflies as an easy-to-learn tool in environmental education programs. Dragonflies have been employed successfully as indicators of ecosystem health in environmental impact assessments and monitoring programs globally. They can be used as environmental sentinels and as whistleblowers for freshwater health, providing an effective tool for environmental impact assessments and freshwater monitoring. We give detailed examples here of some successful projects from South Africa, Tanzania, and Japan. The approaches developed are models that pave the way for more water awareness projects elsewhere, especially in developing countries, where biodiversity and pressures on freshwater systems are high.