ABSTRACT Freshwater ecosystems are exceptionally threatened habitats and suffer biodiversity losses that exceed those in any other ecosystem. Small waterbodies have been typically neglected and excluded from conservation strategies, even though they are essential for maintaining freshwater biodiversity. Dragonflies are considered effective surrogates of the diversity of other taxa and bioindicators of the state of aquatic environments. This study compares, in an intensified farmland landscape of western Spain, the capacity of farm ponds to maintain dragonfly diversity by comparing the Odonata communities of the four type of aquatic systems (river, stream, reservoir and farm pond) present in this region, in which the extant of permanent water bodies is scarce. The results showed higher diversity and abundance values in farm ponds than in any other aquatic system, agreeing with previous studies. Also, farm ponds harbour species from every other aquatic system, thereby occupying an intermediate position in the MDS, which demonstrated their potential value to act as stepping stones. Nevertheless, investigation of the dragonfly community composition revealed a generally low degree of ecological integrity of the studied systems, which are negatively impacted by agricultural and livestock farming intensification. These findings support the role of farm ponds in the maintenance of dragonfly diversity in the study area and emphasise the need of a specific legislation to regulate and protect them.