2014 firefly network meeting
TRANSCRIPT
2014 Firefly Network Meeting
Moderators: Wong Choong Hay1 & Raphael De Cock2
1Wetlands Programme Manager, Conservation Division, Malaysian Nature Society; [email protected]
2Associate Researcher, Evolutionary Ecology group, University of Antwerp, Belgium; [email protected]
2014 Network Meeting Agenda:
• Past meetings and concept • Selangor declaration of firefly conservation • Preliminary results from quick assessment
on firefly conservation and research • Red listing of fireflies • Discussion: Moving forward Any other matters?
The philosophy: • Bring scientists, educators, naturalists and artists together
from around the world with an interest in fireflies in order to network
• Artistic activities involving fireflies represent an essential link in promoting these insects and their conservation to a wider audience, especially those works combining art, science, education and conservation.
• By providing a venue for an international meeting, we hope to foster collaborative partnerships between those interested in many different aspects of fireflies.
Past Firefly Network Meetings and concept
The first, 2007 meeting, officially called the International Firefly Meeting, later renamed the Firefly Network Meeting, was organized by Dr. Nuno Gomes Oliveira and Dr. Raphaël De Cock, hosted at the Parque Biológico de Gaia, Portugal
Past Firefly Network Meetings and concept
International Firefly Symposium, Thailand, 2008
In 2008, a next Firefly meeting was held in conjunction with the First International Firefly Symposium in Chiang Mai, Thailand, organized by the Queen Sirikit’s Botanic Garden Organization and the Committee for the Fireflies in Thailand Project .
Past Firefly Network Meetings and concept
Past Firefly Network Meetings and concept
In 2010, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) and the Malaysian Nature Society organized the 2nd International Firefly Symposium in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia.
International Firefly Symposium, Malaysia, 2010
A Quick Assessment on the Progress of the Selangor Declaration since 2010
Report compiled by: Wong Choong Hay1 & Raphael De Cock2
1Wetlands Programme Manager, Conservation Division, Malaysian Nature
Society; [email protected] 2Associate Researcher, Evolutionary Ecology group, University of Antwerp,
Belgium; [email protected]
Objective To do a quick assessment on the progress of the Selangor Declaration since 2010 though a firefly conservation status questionnaire.
• Participants from 13 countries met at the Second International Firefly Symposium in Selangor, Malaysia from 2nd to 5th August 2010.
• The following declaration was made in conjunction with the symposium at the Third International Firefly Research Network Meeting on 5th August 2010
http://www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/firefly/declaration.html http://www.lampyridjournal.com/the-selangor-declaration-conservation-of-fireflies/
The Selangor Declaration for the Conservation of Fireflies
1. Fireflies are a part of our biodiversity heritage 2. The world’s firefly taxonomy, diversity and
general biology are still poorly understood 3. Fireflies have been a source of ecotourism and
are socio-economically important 4. Fireflies are important bio-indicators (health of
environment, habitat , pollution, etc.) 5. Intervention and budgets are greatly needed
from governments 6. Saving firefly habitats is beneficial for other
biodiversity.
Input from participants of the International Firefly Research Network Meeting:
The declaration urges governments, local authorities and government agencies worldwide to take decisive and concrete action at the regional, national and local level to:
1. Protect the habitats of fireflies for future generations. 2. Undertake rehabilitation of degraded firefly habitats to
enable gradual recovery of populations 3. Develop management plans for firefly ecotourism. 4. Promote the involvement of local communities in firefly
ecotourism. 5. Educate the local communities to get fully involved in
conservation efforts. 6. Communication Education Public participation and
Awareness (CEPA) about fireflies
Our recommendations to governments, local authorities, agencies and corporations to support the allocation of human and financial resources for:
1.Inventory and documentation of firefly species worldwide
2.Taxonomic research on fireflies (morphological and molecular)
3.Basic and applied research on fireflies 4.Low impact development in firefly habitats 5.International networking between governments
and researchers 6.CEPA
METHODS The respondent pool included: • 18 government officials • Academia & research institutions • NGOs • Corporations • Firefly enthusiast • Retired academics
Quick assessment on the progress of the Selangor Declaration since 2010: Firefly Conservation Status Questionnaire.
METHODS The fireflyers were questioned about: • The status of fireflies, • Expertise, • Education, • Conservation, • Diversity, • Government support • Funding • Cultural knowledge
METHODS • People were required to spend 15 minutes to answer Part 1 • Give comments on Part 2 (detailed country study) for which they
had the option to answer the questions.
Survey facts:
• Survey period: 1 May to 30 June 2014
• Respondents: 263 respondents from 6 regions
• Questionnaires returned:
- 18 respondents from 11 countries (3 regions)
- Response rate: 6.84%
RESULTS
response 7%
no respon
se 93%
respondents
RESULTS
USA & Canada
17%
Latin America
0%
Europe 50%
Africa 0%
Asia 33%
Oceania 0%
breakdown of respondents
RESULTS
RESULTS Age Group & Gender
<20s 0%
30s 17%
40s 22%
50s 44%
60s 11%
70s & above
6%
respondents' age group
male 89%
female 11%
respondents' gender
RESULTS
central/ federal
government 5%
local government
6%
University & research
Institution 44% NGO/
NPO/ CBO 11%
Private company
6%
Media 0%
Others 22%
unanswered 6% respondents' affliation
RESULTS taxonomy 4%
biology 14%
behaviour 13%
ecology 18%
evolution 4%
phylogeny 0%
conservation 14%
engineering 0%
landscaping 4%
tourism 4%
socio-economy
0%
applied research
4%
writing 2%
journalism 2%
movie making
2%
photography 4%
educating 13%
others 2%
respondents' expertise
RESULTS
Yes 89%
No 11%
respondents' networking/ cooperation
Yes 33%
No 50%
Don't Know 17%
respondents' knowledge on firefly protected area
RESULTS
Government 17%
Other funders
5%
Self funded 67%
combination 11%
respondents' firefly project funding
RESULTS Firefly diversity
Comment: diversity of fireflies differs in each respective state/ province /
country/ region. For a huge country, each smaller political unit like states/ provinces will have different ranges of firefly numbers
• European countries : range from low to medium (<10) diversity
of fireflies, • Asia and USA & Canada: range from medium (10-50) to high
diversity (>50) of fireflies. • No response: Latin America, Africa and Oceania. No formal survey on fireflies has been done in Malaysia. Proposed diversity classes are debatable; it was put in as an indicator, but no suggestions came from respondents.
RESULTS
Yes 17%
No 72%
Don't know 11%
Is there any firefly education in your
country?
Yes 67%
No 22%
No respon
se 11%
Is firefly education necessary?
RESULTS
Yes 94%
No 0%
No response
6%
Do you promote firefly awareness?
RESULTS Government
5%
Institution and Schools
11%
NGO 39%
Combinations
28%
Don't know 0%
None 11%
Others 6%
No response 0%
Who is doing firefly education in your country?
RESULTS
Yes 33%
No 45%
Don't Know 11%
unanswered 11%
Is there any firefly conservation work in
your country?
Yes 67%
No 33%
Are you doing any firefly conservation
work?
RESULTS
Yes 67%
No 11%
Don't know 22%
Do you know any firefly tales in your country?
Conclusions • Results are just indicative as only 7% responded • Clearer picture if there was/will be a wider response by
31st Dec 2014! • Some interesting findings though: Firefly conservation in practise in many countries, mostly
self-funded. Education, awareness and involvement of the public in
firefly surveys in many countries Lack of data on diversity in Africa, Latin America and Asia Protected areas specifically for fireflies are rare. Most respondents are middle aged men: need to attract
younger people Culture: many know about firefly tales from their own
country
Any recommendations or proposed actions from these results?
Any recommendations or proposed actions from these results? …. Ethics on trade in fireflies?
Include more topics in declaration? • e.g. …. Ethics on trade in fireflies?
Guidelines necessary? - sell fireflies for “scientific” reasons - as a present gimmick, pets, released at events or festivals • Include listing of IUCN red data book
species?
Red listing of fireflies
VOR YIU
GENERAL DISCUSSION:
Moving forward: NOW or LATER? Filling up Part2-Country status questionnaire, firefly specialist group/committee, meetings, organic or structured organization, forum-reference updated website, (intl) funding? Wong & De Cock facilitators !! Any other matters? Research topics,
international collaborations?