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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n
These little fireflies have a big task.
They\u2019re being released back into the wild.<\/p>\n
A small act that can have a huge impact
on the island of Bali and its people.<\/p>\n
Meet Wayan. He\u2019s a big fan of fireflies. When
I was little, we didn\u2019t have electricity.<\/p>\n
I remember seeing clouds of fireflies. I normally
collected the fireflies and used them as lights.<\/p>\n
But 40 years later, Wayan realized that the
fireflies in his village had all but disappeared.<\/p>\n
These bugs glow in the dark to attract mates and
to ward off predators. But as Bali continues to<\/p>\n
develop, they\u2019re losing the night. Too much
light it\u2019s disturbing their communications.<\/p>\n
Villages and rice fields are taking over
the forests and streams where they breed.<\/p>\n
And the chemical fertilizers and pesticides
used by farmers degrade their habitat.<\/p>\n
At least four species in Southeast Asia are
close to extinction, which is bad news. Fireflies<\/p>\n
pollinate local plants and crops. Some species
even feed on snails that destroy rice plants,<\/p>\n
acting as natural pest control. So, I\u2019m trying
to bring back the population. In 2020, Wayan<\/p>\n
set up Bring Back the Light, Indonesia\u2019s only
firefly conservation program, on his family farm.<\/p>\n
Along with three other scientists, Cindy
looks after the fireflies from egg to adult.<\/p>\n
Firefly eggs take just a few weeks to hatch into
larva. The larva feed and grow for up to 2 years,<\/p>\n
then develop into pupae. These transform
within a couple of weeks into an adult firefly,<\/p>\n
which feeds and mates for just 3 weeks
before it dies. It\u2019s painstaking work.<\/p>\n
Once the fireflies lay their eggs, the scientists
first find and count them, look after the larva,<\/p>\n
nurture the pupae,<\/p>\n
and release the adults.<\/p>\n
Not much is known about fireflies and
their breeding process in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
So, Wayan\u2019s team is breaking new ground. They
have released close to 20,000 larva and adults,<\/p>\n
and local firefly populations are gradually
improving. It\u2019s a slow increase. As we grow<\/p>\n
our knowledge, we able to contribute more
into fireflies repopulation program. But,<\/p>\n
there\u2019s one problem. Fireflies are highly
sensitive to their environment. If the air,<\/p>\n
water, and soil aren\u2019t healthy, they
don\u2019t survive. If we don\u2019t see fireflies,<\/p>\n
there is something wrong with the ecosystem. So,
4 years ago, Wayan dreamt bigger. My goal now is<\/p>\n
not only to protect and save the fireflies, but
also regenerate the ecosystem. And it all starts<\/p>\n
with cow poop. We are at the holy white cow
conservation, where we collect the manure.<\/p>\n
Wayan treats this poop into compost. It\u2019s
an alternative to chemical fertilizers,<\/p>\n
one of the main threats to
fireflies and their ecosystem.<\/p>\n
We used to choose cow dung to make
fertilizer because it already has earthworm,<\/p>\n
millions of microorganism that lives and that\u2019s
where the plants need. Our main goal is actually<\/p>\n
to regenerate the soil so that the plants has all
the minerals, the nutrition that they require.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n
So right now we are making eco enzyme. To replace
synthetic pesticides, Wayan concocts a formula<\/p>\n
that deters pests while providing nutrients
for crops and soil. It\u2019s made from food waste.<\/p>\n
So we collect the rejected fruit from the local
markets and then use them as a eco enzyme.<\/p>\n
This is our organic farm. This is where we show
our crops. We must lead by example so we must<\/p>\n
grow our own farm when other farmers ready
to follow, we don\u2019t need to convince them.<\/p>\n
As soil quality improves, crops grow healthier
and can sell for more. Profits go up. Eventually,<\/p>\n
both farmers and fireflies benefit. Wayan aims to
convince the other 35 farmers in this area to go<\/p>\n
organic, thereby ensuring a pesticide-free zone
for fireflies. But changing human behavior is now<\/p>\n
one of his biggest challenges. This transition is
not easy, especially when we work with farmers.<\/p>\n
Wayan distributes his organic fertilizer and
pesticides to farmers for free. He also pays<\/p>\n
the farmers back for any losses incurred
during the transition away from chemicals.<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m trying to do is to
create a circular ecosystem<\/p>\n
where we provide all the materials that the
farmers need for growing crops. Wayan funds<\/p>\n
this effort with revenue from firefly conservation
tours and selling organic produce from his farm.<\/p>\n
The ecotourism is to support the project
and then also to support the farmers.<\/p>\n
Four farmers are involved in the scheme
right now. Pak Nyoman is one of them.<\/p>\n
First I was trying to touch their hearts. So
now I\u2019m reverse. I have to fill up the pockets,<\/p>\n
then we change the hearts.<\/p>\n
In the beginning it was my personal
journey to see fireflies again.<\/p>\n
But Wayan\u2019s mission has since rippled outwards to
his community and to the natural world we live in.<\/p>\n
We human don\u2019t live alone on this earth.
We maintain the sustainability of nature,<\/p>\n
not just for our generation,
but for our future generation.<\/p>\n
Not just for our kind, but also
for the other biodiversity.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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