By Elora – A PhD postgraduate student at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Recall back Firefly, and the beginning “Apy-Apy” to Jesselton and now Kota Kinabalu capital City.
Can we restore the presence of firefly insect light in our city of Kota Kinabalu in the 20th century?
The answer is in our community’s hands to choose.
We refer to the abundance synchronised congregating fireflies in the mangrove ecosystem, and these species of fireflies cannot flash with exposure to artificial light at night.
These special congregating fireflies need a pure mangrove ecosystem, true mangrove trees, and natural habitats for their displaying stage to stay alive day and night.
Back to the previous ancestor time, where Jesselton and now Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysia, is also known as Api-Api, which means “Place of Fire” in the local language.
The name is believed to have originated from a nearby river called Sungai Api-Api.
Danny Wong Tze Ken – From Gaya to Jesselton has already been mentioned in treaties concluded between the North Borneo Company and the Sultan of Brunei before the establishment of Jesselton.
The same name was also mentioned in an article published in the British North Borneo Herald of 1883, which described the place. An earlier Dutch map published by J. Van Braan and G.Onder of Linden (Leiden) has Api Api marked at the same location of present-day Jesselton.
On another early map produced in Amsterdam in 1657 by Pet, Schenkand Gervalk, the place was named “Apy Apy”.
Another interpretation of the name refers to a type of mangrove tree found locally which I am sure comes from the Avicennia sp. in scientific name.
This group of mangrove trees is one of the display trees for congregating fireflies that is found at Rampayan Kota Belud, where this area is known popular destination for firefly-based watching recently.
I believe that at that time firefly presence was abundant in that location, which now changed to a metropolitan city named Kota Kinabalu.
What is the significance to realize here?
The location of Kota Kinabalu previously is the habitat of fireflies which I believe impacted the communities to call these places api-api.
No historical note or journal to prove this fact, but the gathered information and my recent study find that there is a significant finding story or fact to say this.
With regards to my talk recently on International Biodiversity Symposium (IBDS2023) at UMT, mention that fireflies are a biological indicator for a healthy mangrove ecosystem, and that the firefly communities depend on the healthy mangrove ecosystem to stay alive and flash.
Our capital city previously is the natural mangrove ecosystem that is home to precisely abundant fireflies and of course some other species of wildlife and biodiversity.
However, with the development of residential to cities, these rich habitats are lost, unidentified, and without being recorded.
The highlight point to realise here is that continued exploration and development now known as climate change will destroy the natural habitat of many organisms and living.
The issue of climate change not only refers to the increasing temperature and change in weather but also any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.
Do we still have fireflies in our Sabah state? Yes, but it’s little, and now facing some threats.
So, with the remaining areas of fireflies’ habitat such as Rampayan, Binsulok, and Klias, something has to do.
We need to conserve them.
However, these alls effort is nothing if there’s no awareness among communities.
Communities’ lifestyle is the major factor affecting the decreasing habitat for fireflies and also another biodiversity in the mangrove ecosystem.
Awareness needs to increase in communities to understand ecology and the environment.
Humans are the main protecter of nature and the environment. This has already been noted and known by many religions and was the only responsibility given to humans from the beginning of the world’s creators.
What efforts and why fireflies? Special protection and conservation for firefly species is a little less noticed, because it may be due to its size and complicated needs.
Comprehensive protection that includes habitats and ecosystems seems better to be observed and discussed.
We focus on the firefly habitat, which is the mangrove forest, as an area that needs to be protected by the parties concerned.
Mangrove forests are not only home to various types of marine life, crocodiles, monkeys, and birds but also a very perfect ecosystem to provide good ecosystem services to the community.
We need to know that, the mangrove forest is a protective buffer zone that resists typhoons from the ocean to protect human settlements, and we also get food such as fish from the mangrove forest coast.
However, the sad thing is that the mangrove forest is an area that receives all the waste from the land and is faced with various pollution from the land.
Fireflies cannot live in a polluted mangrove forest.
Therefore, the presence of fireflies in a mangrove area is the best indicator that proves the health of the area which may be relatively free from critical pollutants.
So, fireflies are a sign of the natural environment.
Some countries such as Thailand, Mexico, Korea and Taipei hold certain days to commemorate and appreciate the existence of fireflies by holding certain festivals and events.
With the original history of the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, which was once inhabited by this species and Sabah has been listed as the best location to watch fireflies in Southeast Asia and the world, we should have similar festivals and events to appreciate the presence of these insects.
This is one of the state’s attractions that can be tried and recommended to relevant parties, especially for the sustainability of the state’s tourism development.
Awareness can be created among the public to be sensitive to the issue of wildlife habitat conservation in nature
