Munich switches off street lights: Protection of fireflies in danger!

Munich switches off street lights: Protection of fireflies in danger!

Protecting fireflies is the focus of the Berg am Laim district committee. With a unanimous motion from the Greens, the committee voted to switch off the street lighting on Thomas-Hauser-Straße at the crossing to Trudering by the end of July. This step is intended to help the fascinating little beetles that desperately need darkness to reproduce. As tz.de reports, this measure is part of a larger commitment to nature and species protection in the city.

Fireflies don't just glow for show. This bioluminescence plays a crucial role in their reproductive behavior. The males send out their presence via light signals, while the females react in the dark. However, to experience these magical moments you need the absence of disturbing light, especially in the months of June and July.

Security concerns and advances

At the most recent meeting of the district committee, some concerns did not go unmentioned. The CSU expressed concerns about security at the police vehicle depot and voted against the motion to switch off the lights in this area. Nevertheless, the majority prevailed in favor of protecting the fireflies, as goodnews-magazin.de also states. The applicants argued that lighting on the peripheral road was not essential during the summer months.

The district committee's newly elected animal protection officer, Kathrin Eva Schmid (CSU), is committed to speeding up the process. "We have to do something so we don't lose the fireflies. Their breeding season is passing quickly," she emphasized. Manuel Weiß from the Greens also made it clear that the administration may need up to three months to respond to such applications - too long for the little messengers of light.

Science and bioluminescence

But what exactly makes fireflies the shining stars of the night? It is the special chemical reaction in which the enzyme luciferase meets the substrate luciferin. This interaction produces light that appears via the photicytes in the firefly's abdomen. As nationalgeographic.de explains, there are different colors of light that can be produced by different chemical processes. The belly of fireflies therefore represents an unexplored area of ​​bioluminescence.

The basis of light emission lies in the interaction of oxygen, calcium, magnesium and luciferin. Recent research shows that an extra oxygen electron plays a key role in this process. Bruce Branchini of Connecticut College has shown that a chemical reaction must occur that could also occur in other bioluminescent organisms. The possibilities that arise here could be important not only in nature, but also in modern medicine.

It's not just the biology of the fireflies that's fascinating, but also the district committee's initiative, which makes an important contribution to species protection. It remains to be hoped that by switching off the street lights, the mysterious messengers of light in Berg am Laim will have a chance to perform their nightly dances undisturbed.