Light show: how the Tlalpan Forest was filled with fireflies

The Tlalpan Forest is one of the most important natural areas in Mexico City (CDMX), it covers an area of 252.86 hectares and, according to information from the Ministry of the Environment (SEDEMA), it is the second most important forested area in the capital. In fact, in 2011 it was declared a Natural Protected Area “under the category of Ecological and Cultural Zone”.

This place is distinguished by its diversity of species, among which fireflies stand out, however, the abundance of these insects in the Forest did not occur suddenly, it was achieved thanks to a process of planning and restoration of some areas of the park.

Mauricio Rendón, a specialized biologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), spoke with Infobae Mexico about the work he carried out in this natural area to make the presence of these animals possible.

This is Lucernia, a project that was born in the state of Morelos with the aim of restoring the habitat of fireflies. This was achieved by “identifying the necessary conditions that would facilitate the reproduction of these insects,” said the UNAM specialist.

The concern arose because the biologist realized that in certain areas near the forest the presence of these insects had been identified, which meant that the species was there, only the necessary conditions needed to facilitate its reproduction.

“For a long time I have been a regular visitor to the Tlalpan Forest in Mexico City. It was a fact that there must have been fireflies, because in many gardens in the surrounding houses they appeared, so, inside there were fireflies, all that had to be done was to block the passage of people to verify the existence of the food that firefly larvae require”, commented Mauricio Rendón.

This task was not easy, since it was essential to inspect the characteristics of the forest and establish how the project was going to be carried out: “We were the ones who were determining and touring which were the places with the greatest relative and real abundance of fireflies because all over the forest there are. It was essential to verify that there was everything they needed: what they eat, the vegetation cover they require and avoid light,” explained Rendón.

He also explained that this issue has been working on for four years, even, it was possible to close certain spaces and “the population began to rise, to establish some shelters for females and larvae of fireflies and we hoped that this would pay off and so it did. In the rainy season you can enjoy shows of this type. The actions were achieved with the authorization of SEDEMA, but their role was simply to open the door for us at night.”

This was expressed by the researcher because recently SEDEMA released information about the project led by Mauricio, on the other hand, he also specified: “I understand, they have to say that something is done, so that there is more credibility of their actions, but what we would expect is that if they say so, at least they are there and collaborate in some way. , not that they just say “you can come in.”

It is important to note that this arduous task was carried out by Mauricio and his team because of their commitment and love of life. The interviewee stressed that this type of action is an opportunity to raise awareness among people that “we are all on the same planet that we share with countless beings and that in some way, our attitudes impact ecosystems”.

It should be noted that to give continuity to Lucernia's work, the team produced a document that talked about the importance of establishing a specialized program to carry out more strategies to facilitate the rehabilitation and restoration of these spaces. The authorities were also urged to make commitments to “regulate the park's capacity very well so that this would not be counterproductive with fireflies” although “to date there has been no response from the authorities. The problem is that the bureaucracy is very slow, in what they answer you and what they give you a solution it has been a long time.”

The biologist took the opportunity to invite society to do something for nearby ecosystems and help the planet, although sometimes “the current is very strong and continues to fall, on the one hand, into the materialism that leads us to consume and impact the environment, and on the other, to believe that supposed actions such as separating garbage, thinking that our car is polluting, being vegan, etc. is really adding, although this of course helps, is not an immediate solution.”

The presence of humans in the world, specifically the most powerful industries, has caused a series of irreparable damage to nature. The situation has brought consequences that have directly affected all living things, especially animals and ecosystems, and this space located south of the City has been no exception.

The Mauricio project is a good example of this kind of significant change, because, as Rendón comments: “Rather than complaining about the situation, we propose to generate strategies where projects and financing with people interested in protecting and encountering the environment can help to preserve, preserve, monitor and monitor natural areas”.

Finally, he invited people to be responsible to all species and to raise awareness of what affects them, because they are living beings that obviously feel and suffer. It is important to seek that, even if they are small actions, they contribute to changing reality.

Thousands of lives need not be saved or many hectares of natural areas recovered because that is impossible, it is rather an attempt to preserve the ecosystems that are close to us. It is the little that can be done as long as there is little action on the part of governments and society in general.

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