For some adults, chasing fireflies and watching them light up the hills on summer nights are fond childhood memories. Unfortunately, fireflies may become part of the past since they are at risk of disappearing in Taiwan as they are in other parts of the world.

Taiwan is home to more than fifty of some two thousand firefly species around the world. Fireflies thrive in humid, warm areas, and they can be found in forests and fields as well as near lakes, rivers, and streams. They glow at night to find mates, but the presence of artificial light prevents fireflies from seeing each other, so they cannot reproduce. Water pollution, the use of chemicals on plants, and the mismanagement of rivers and streams have also contributed to the firefly's decreasing numbers. 

The Taiwanese government and various local organizations have now taken steps to protect these magical creatures. Fireflies are being bred and released into the wild. Ponds and grasslands are also being developed to create favorable environments for snails and earthworms, which are a main food source for firefly larvae. Through the hard work of some conservationists, firefly numbers have increased in certain mountain areas.

對有些成年人來說,在夏夜裡追逐螢火蟲以及觀賞牠們照亮山丘是愉快的童年回憶。可惜的是,螢火蟲可能會成為過去式,因為牠們在台灣正面臨消失的危機,如同在世界其他地方一樣。

在全世界約莫兩千種的螢火蟲中,有超過五十種螢火蟲棲息在台灣。螢火蟲在潮濕溫暖的地區茁壯生長,在森林、田野以及湖泊、河川、溪流附近都看得到牠們的蹤影。牠們在夜晚發光尋找配偶,但是人造光的出現讓螢火蟲看不見彼此,因此無法繁殖。水汙染、用於作物的農藥、河川與溪流的不當管理也都造成螢火蟲的數量逐漸下降。

台灣政府以及許多地方機構現在已採取行動來保護這些神奇的生物。螢火蟲經人工飼育後釋放到野外。有人也正在復育池塘和草原來創造出適合蝸牛和蚯蚓生長的環境,牠們是螢火蟲幼蟲的主要食物來源。透過某些環保人士的努力,在某些山區,螢火蟲的數量已經增加了。

文章出處:Live互動英語雜誌

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