County in SW China's Sichuan promotes protection, utilization of fireflies

Fireflies light up a beautiful night in Qingshen county, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Qingshen county committee)

Fireflies had once become a rare sight in Qingshen county in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. That has changed in recent years with the implementation of a “forest chief system” and the promotion of science-based protection and breeding of fireflies. This has led to the return of fireflies and the creation of a distinctive cultural and tourism industry centered around the insect, driving rural revitalization in the area.

Protecting fireflies under the “forest chief system”

As darkness falls, Song Meiyuan, a 56-year-old native of the county, grabs his flashlight and heads up hill. “I can’t help but worry about the fireflies, I always want to check on them,” he says.

Song is the forest chief of Hudu neighborhood, Baiguo township. Song recalled that children often chased fireflies in the forest in his childhood village in the past.

"I can't remember when fireflies became rare," Song said. He later learned that fireflies serve as "indicators of the health of the environment," thriving in lush, humid areas like rivers, rice fields, and forests, and are highly sensitive to light pollution and pesticides.

As a village-level forest chief for many years, Song has witnessed Qingshen's efforts to protect the ecological environment. The county has established a three-tier system of forest chiefs at the county, township, and village levels, along with village-level supervisors and forest rangers. It has 27 county-level, 68 township-level, and 67 village-level forest chiefs.

"People's awareness of ecological protection has been enhanced, and they have actively participated in voluntary tree and bamboo planting activities. The county's forest coverage rate reaches 48.8 percent," Song noted.

Thanks to the improved ecological environment, the number of firefly habitats in Qingshen have increased from 11 to 52. The county now boasts 12 varieties of fireflies, including a newly found rare species, with a total population of more than 100 million fireflies.

To strengthen the protection of fireflies and their habitats, the county has established a grid management system of village-level forest chiefs, supervisors, forest rangers, firefly guardians, and monitors based on the three-tier forest chief system.

Tourists are advised not to use strong lights or flashlights when watching fireflies because this affects their breeding, and not to catch them, said Wang Jianying, a firefly guardian in Hudu neighborhood, which has over 20 firefly guardians.

Professionalizing firefly conservation

In 2020, Qingshen partnered with experts from central China's Hubei Province to establish the firefly research and protection center in southwest China.

Yang Lu, a staff member from the firefly protection and research service center under the Bureau of Forestry and Landscaping of Qingshen county, mentioned measures such as restricting the use of pesticides near the habitats of fireflies and replacing streetlights with fluorescent signs at night. The center also organizes science lectures in villages, and has compiled a firefly protection brochure.

In 2023, a firefly-themed art museum opened in Qingshen integrating scientific research, nature education, and interactive devices. It features a simulated firefly habitat, enabling people to watch fireflies year-round, said Yin Yue, deputy director of the management committee of the Bamboo Industrial Park of Qingshen county. The art museum also serves as a breeding base for fireflies.

Polishing cultural and tourism brand

Since around 2020, Qingshen's fireflies have attracted an increasing number of tourists. "We seized the opportunity to develop firefly tourism, turning our ecological advantages into development momentum," said Cheng Xiaoyun, deputy director of the Qingshen Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism Bureau.

Qingshen has designated science-based firefly viewing areas, improved infrastructure, and enriched tourism offerings, such as the firefly night market, opera performances and Hanfu night tours. It has also invited online influencers to hold livestreams on firefly appreciation, and provided favorable policies for travel agencies, making the insect a calling card for its tourism sector.

During this year's firefly viewing season, Qingshen received more than 250,000 tourist visits in a month, generating tourism revenue of over 80 million yuan ($11.01 million).