Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh

My work at the intersection of biodiversity research and the history of natural heritage is driven by a profound passion for species discovery and conservation. Each new species I encounter, especially in my study of fireflies, fills me with hope and curiosity. This excitement compels me to explore and build a species list while reflecting on lost species and the need for protection moving forward. By identifying, documenting, and mobilizing information on new species, I raise the public profile of fireflies and biodiversity as our natural heritage. Globally, I have been working closely with esteemed colleagues at the IUCN Firefly Specialist Group to assess threatened species worldwide. So far, 150 firefly taxa have been evaluated, with around 20% at heightened extinction risk. Moving forward, we are laying the groundwork for the first National Action Plan for mangrove congregating fireflies in Southeast Asia which is a crucial step towards safeguarding these iconic ecotourism species and securing the livelihoods of local communities.

Many local extinctions may go unnoticed in a rapidly changing environment. Some species might have gone extinct before they were even discovered, due to insufficient monitoring and lacking historical baseline information. So, we need all the help I can get to ensure that we do not lose what we have yet to fully comprehend. Looking to the future, I hope that by illuminating the stories of our species and ecosystems I can inspire a greater appreciation for our natural heritage and motivate as many people as possible to engage in conservation. I trust that sometimes, it’s not ignorance that holds people back, but rather a lack of exposure and opportunity. 

Every time I talk about fireflies, whether in a public or academic setting, there is always at least one person who tells me how the firefly experience resonated with their childhood memories and the surreal feeling of realizing the phenomenon they saw back then wasn’t the same anymore as now they see fireflies are disappearing. But I can’t relate to that because I never saw fireflies when I was a kid as I never was allowed to go out at night and ironically, I grew up in an oil palm plantation in Malaysia.

It was in 2006 when I first encountered fireflies in a mangrove forest as part of my undergraduate research project. This project initially started as an exploration of mangroves, a unique and vital ecosystem, and then fireflies started to spark my curiosity – the many undescribed species and the incredible flashing patterns each species produces. As I became eager to see fireflies in different mangrove forests, I also witnessed mangroves being destroyed in every forest I visited. The disappearance of fireflies, as a key indicator species, not only signifies the loss of a unique natural wonders but also points to the degradation of their habitat, the mangroves. How do I save them? The problem was larger than I had anticipated. At that time, the number of firefly species in Malaysia and beyond was unknown. The importance of taxonomy and conservation became clear – we cannot conserve what we cannot identify. With rapid development and habitat loss, we are racing against time to uncover new species while the number of taxonomists dwindles. In the face of this challenge, I found my personal commitment to the cause.