Fireflies face extinction risk - and tourists are partly to blame

[Judi Lynn]

By Georgina Rannard
BBC News
7 February 2020

Firefly tourism is on the rise globally but scientists are warning it may contribute to risk of the insect's extinction.

"I spotted a hundred flickering lights, illuminating a palm like a Christmas tree."

"Our guide waved his flashlight at the fireflies. They slowly engulfed us - we were surrounded by a shiny galaxy of glowing beetle stomachs."

"I reached out a hand and captured one in my fist."

Reading this travel blogger's enchanting experience in 2019 makes it clear why firefly tours are popular, but done badly, it risks killing the insects.

Habitat loss and light pollution from urbanisation and industrialisation are the leading threats to firefly populations, according to research published this week.

But firefly tourism, which attracts thousands of visitors in countries including Mexico, the US, the Philippines and Thailand, is a growing concern for conservationists.

"Getting out into the night and enjoying fireflies in their natural habitat is an awe-inspiring experience," Prof Sara Lewis at Tufts University, who led the research, told the BBC.

But tourists often inadvertently kill fireflies by stepping on them, or disturb their habitat by shining lights and causing soil erosion.

Firefly festivals are organised in countries including Japan, Belgium, and India, and social media is magnifying this tourism, she adds.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51398485




Please take time to scan the pictures of Mexico's Firefly Forest Sanctuary at google images here:
https://tinyurl.com/ua36o6v

So beautiful.

[hlthe2b]

1. It has been many summers since I've seen them where I live. I find it intensely sad.

[samnsara]

2. my mom grew up in OK and used to tell us of capturing one in a jar to..

..watch it light up. When my dtr moved to Tenneesee I finally got to see a few.

[doc03]

3. Sixty years ago my yard would have hundreds

of them on a summer evening, now you may see a couple.
We have been losing population in this area for decades so it is not that it has become more urban. I have always thought bug zapers are what is killing them off. Is there any indication that is partly responsible for the decline?
I look around the neighborhood at night and nearly everyone has a bug zapper outside.