It Takes a Village to Keep Fireflies Flashing

Local community involvement along with science are critical to  firefly conservation | Photo by: Arieff Zafir

In an article by Macaranga, Liani MK discusses how the local Malaysian community guides hold the key to conserving Perak’s firefly populations along Sungai Sepetang, and they are doing so hand-in-hand with  conservationists.

MALAYSIA is home to over 60 firefly species and all face threats from habitat destruction, light pollution, and rising sea levels due to the climate crisis. Fireflies are important indicators of ecosystem health, and their decline draws attention to the health of Malaysia’s mangrove ecosystems.

Sungai Sepetang is part of the river system of Perak’s 40,000ha Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve. As one of the world’s longest-managed reserves and the largest mangrove forest reserve in Malaysia, Matang is located about 10 km from Taiping.

Sungai Sepetang is also home to large populations of synchronous congregating fireflies from the genus Pteroptyx that gather on the mangrove trees along riverbanks. At night, the trees act as “display trees” for the males to flash and attract mates.