Tourist influx for ‘firefly festivals’, climate change threatens survival of delicate insect species

The end of May brings with it a gentle breeze from the west that slowly fades the scorching heat in Maharashtra’s Bhandardara region in Ahmednagar district. Nestled in the Sahyadri mountain range, this area is lush green. As night falls, the trees in the valley are illuminated, as if adorned with fairy lights. These “fairy lights” are, in fact, bioluminescent insects – fireflies.

The end of May and the beginning of June is typically mating season for this species. During this time, fireflies procreate, creating a dazzling show of lights. As the monsoon settles in and showers become more regular, the firefly population slowly fades.

However, the last few years have seen a drastic change. The locals of the Bhandardara-Ghatghar region and environmental experts say they are worried about the survival of the species.

They have observed that the growing influx of tourists and the changing climate are adversely impacting the fireflies. Locals worry that this will impact the population of fireflies.

Between May 25 and June 15, which coincides with the mating season of the fireflies, the region is host to a “Fireflies Festival” as part of which private tour operators and trekking companies bring in tourists for organised camps and sightseeing.

These festivals also take place in other parts of Maharashtra such as Rajmachi, Purushwadi, Prabalwadi, Bhimashankar, Harishchandragad, Malshej Ghat among others, with most tourists coming in from Mumbai, Pune and other cities. The government does not organise this as an official festival and many of these companies. based in the cities, are not run by locals. Hence, there is no data on how many such groups are bringing in tourists for the “festival”.

According to estimates from the Maharashtra forest department, the fireflies draw in nearly 200,000 tourists to Bhandardara every year. With each year, the popularity of this festival only grows and so does the footfall.

Many environmentalists, however, are now asking these commercial trips to see the fireflies to be discontinued.

A sensitive species

Fireflies belong to the taxonomic family Lampyridae which consists of soft-bodied beetles, many of which are light-emitting. They produce a chemical reaction inside their bodies that allows them to light up.

“The male firefly emits light from his abdomen to attract the female,” says Rahul Khot, an entomologist. “An enzyme named luciferase gets produced in the firefly’s abdomen. When oxygen combines with the luciferase, light is produced. We call this the ‘lighting up’ of fireflies.”

He adds that the particular lighting forms signalling patterns between fireflies. “This signalling could be a mating call, or a call to alert in case of a predator. The emission of light by male fireflies is often essentially to attract the female: the more this light, the higher the chances of a female choosing him. So, male fireflies are always competitive about bioluminescence. Females also identify a male of their own specific sub-specie from the colour of this light. She is the one who chooses which male firefly to mate with.”

In the last few years, the luminance of fireflies has been made into a commercial event with organised tour groups and camping trips to see fireflies. As part of these trips, tourists experience the traditional local cuisine, music and the tribal life. While increasing tourists in the last few years helped locals with an additional livelihood, it has also affected the number of fireflies in the region.

In particular, certain tourist behaviour impacts the mating of fireflies. Khot says that tourists venture deep into the forests in search of fireflies, flash torchlights and park their vehicles within the forests, with headlights on. “This creates a lot of hindrance in the way male fireflies emit light,” he adds. “Their signalling attempt fails due to this light pollution, resulting in the failure to mate. Only male fireflies can actually fly. The females lie on the ground. Thousands of tourists combing the jungle means that these females [fireflies] get squashed under their feet.”

“It has been observed all over the world, through the past decade, that there is a definite decrease in the number of fireflies,” says Khot. “By nature, fireflies are extremely sensitive species.”

Tourism, a double-edged sword

While precise data on the population trends of fireflies in the region is not available, anecdotes from the local people who have been here for decades, indicate that they have been observing fewer fireflies in the region.

“As a young girl, I remember seeing fireflies inside our home,” said Thakubai Rongte, 45, while speaking to Mongabay India. We met Thakubai on a dark night, while watching the dazzling fireflies. It had just rained, and the winds were strong. She graciously offered us tea and narrated her story. “These days, you don’t even see them [fireflies] in fields. You need to venture deep into forests to get a view of them.” Thakubai runs a tea stall by the street in the Mutkhel village, part of the Bhandardara region.

“I was born and raised in this region, so I can tell you stories from my childhood,” says Thakubai. “Back then, we had fireflies in abundance. The forests, too, were dense and the rains would be stronger. Now, the rain as well as the forests are reducing. Pollution has increased. And so, the fireflies in this region may have reduced.”

When we met Bhau Bhandkule, a senior citizen from Kolthembe village, selling karvanda, a local fruit. He, too, had similar things to say. “The number of fireflies has reduced,” he says based on his general observation. “It’s something in nature. The balance is not right.” Bhandkule has spent 65 years in this region. And seen 65 summers. He feels the change in the climate. He cannot point out what it is but feels helpless.

Subhash Inde, a resident of Bhandardara, runs lodging facilities for tourists, while also giving them a taste of the local cuisine. “Earlier, tourists were fewer, and fireflies were in abundance,” he says. “Now, it is the opposite. The (decreasing) number of fireflies is going to decrease the number of tourists coming to this region.”

Inde’s observations point to the double-edged sword that looms above their heads – tourism brings the local people additional income, but it impacts the fireflies population. And if the population of fireflies reduces, tourism reduces. But that negatively impacts their income.

Most of the local people in this forest region of Bhandardara belong to the tribes of Mahadev Koli and Thakar, whose traditional occupation has been cultivating paddy fields. However, tourists, particularly in the monsoon season, bring in additional income for them. Along with the view of the fireflies, the region attracts tourists with its freewheeling waterfalls and multiple forts. The local people earn this seasonal income by selling local produce, food and organising camps and lodging for tourists.

“But if this (reducing number of fireflies) goes on, tourism will eventually take a hit and our businesses will suffer,” says Thakubai.

During the festival, families who provide tents and food to tourists earn up to Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 per season. Indigenous women who sell berries, snacks, tea, and other forest produce earn between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 as seasonal income.

The government has established rules to encourage responsible tourism but much of this is on paper, say local people and environmentalists.

The state forest department has laid out multiple rules, so that the mating process of fireflies is not endangered by tourist behaviour. The rules, announced by various authorities of the forest department and the police department state that tourists must park their vehicles in the designated parking area.

A minimum of 50 metres’ distance should be kept from the tree which houses fireflies. Mobile torches, battery torches or LEDs should not be flashed on and around these trees, and loud music or honking is prohibited. The department also states that in case of failing to comply with the rules, appropriate action will be taken against the offenders.

Sunil Thorat, a government-approved guide with the Maharashtra State Tourism Department who has been organising trips to see fireflies since 2013, says, “I usually take 30 to 40 people in a batch and am always accompanied by a local. I also instruct tourists about responsible tourism practices. However, there are many organisers that take a batch of 100 to 150 people. New tourist agencies have mushroomed in every city, and people who attend a few treks begin organising their own. These amateur tour operators ignore these instructions, eventually harming the environment. In addition, the forest department has not imposed any upper limit on the number of tourists allowed at one go.”

Bhaurao Chaskar is a teacher at a local school, who has been observing the movement and life cycle of fireflies over the past two decades and writes about it in various local newspapers. He is a resident of the Akole tehsil situated in the Ahmednagar district. “Earlier, tourists would park their car in a place, roam around and look for the fireflies,” Chaskar says. “However, this gorgeous world of fireflies is getting eclipsed by overenthusiasm. Tourists roam around through the night in their cars, blaring loud music, honking, flashing torchlights.”

While rising tourism and the resultant disturbance are a threat for fireflies, habitat changes and climate induced challenges are also affecting the population.

Khot said that fireflies are sensitive insects and sudden changes in climatic conditions and their habitat affect them immediately. “These insects do not normally migrate. They live within a periphery of 100 meters. When trees such as hirda and beherda, which are ideal habitat for fireflies to settle, are either cut or slowly vanish due to unpredictable weather patterns, it affects the mating of males and females and reduces their reproductive rate.”

While studies on the impact of climate change on fireflies in Maharashtra are limited, global research has indicated that there is a likelihood that firefly populations will be influenced by climate change, along with factors such as habitat loss.

Fireflies, a boon to farmers

The reducing fireflies have invisible, but severe implications for agriculture.

Fireflies form an important part of the natural food chain amongst insects as they feed on other insects that harm crops. Firefly larvae, for example, feed on slugs. This in turn helps the farmers. But the reducing number of fireflies increases the population of insects that are harmful for agriculture.

Earlier, many tribal farmers did not use pesticides for their crops. Fireflies were in abundance. However, this is now changing. With pests and climate impacting agriculture, more farmers are resorting to the use of pesticides, in order to get a good yield. This is impacting fireflies, which in turn impacts agriculture again. “This warrants urgent attention from the government, the environmentalists and the biologists,” Chaskar says. “The forest department should at least now realise the urgency of this situation and preserve and grow the biodiversity of this region.”

Chaskar also hints at deforestation and stubble burning as potentially impacting the fireflies’ population. Only a select type of trees house fireflies. These include hirda and behda (Terminalia chebula and Terminalia belirica), jamun (Syzygium cumini), mango and cluster figs.

“The specific shape of this tree is useful for mating,” he says. “However, the instances of cutting down these trees are rampant, which in turn affects fireflies. The species go through a life cycle of egg-larva-pupa-insects. When the time is right, the full-grown insect would emerge out of the pupa or chrysalis. But if trees are cut down, the fireflies would of course die.”

He also points to the issue of stubble burning in the region, where an entire hillock is torched. “This is done in order to get a lush new crop. However, this leads to two things: The naturally growing plants or even the fresh new seeds are burned away. And importantly, a large population of insects also burns away.”

This story is produced under Project Dharitri, a joint undertaking by Asar and Baimanus. Mongabay-India is collaborating with the Project to highlight climate and gender issues.