Mexican project hopes to be a lifeline for endangered axolotls
In southern Mexico City, a group of activists and locals is working to protect the axolotl, an amphibian species once venerated by the ancient Mexica people, with the aim of reintroducing it into its natural habitat, the Xochimilco canals.
Xochimilco, which preserves the final traces of the pre-Hispanic era transportation system and chinampas, pre-Hispanic agricultural rafts, has become inhospitable for axolotls due to heightened pollution levels, invasive species, massive tourism, and, crucially, illegal land use changes, says Michel Balam, the leader of the Santuario Ajolote (Axolotl Sanctuary) project.
The last axolotl census in Mexico, conducted in 2014 by the renowned Universidad Nacional de Mexico (UNAM), showed 36 axolotls per square kilometer in the Xochimilco area, a drastic reduction from the 6,000 salamanders per square kilometer reported in 1998 by the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana (UAM).
REUTERS VIDEO
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#TheManilaTimes
#tmtnews
#mexico
#axolotls
In southern Mexico City, a group of activists and locals is working to protect the axolotl, an amphibian species once venerated by the ancient Mexica people, with the aim of reintroducing it into its natural habitat, the Xochimilco canals.
Xochimilco, which preserves the final traces of the pre-Hispanic era transportation system and chinampas, pre-Hispanic agricultural rafts, has become inhospitable for axolotls due to heightened pollution levels, invasive species, massive tourism, and, crucially, illegal land use changes, says Michel Balam, the leader of the Santuario Ajolote (Axolotl Sanctuary) project.
The last axolotl census in Mexico, conducted in 2014 by the renowned Universidad Nacional de Mexico (UNAM), showed 36 axolotls per square kilometer in the Xochimilco area, a drastic reduction from the 6,000 salamanders per square kilometer reported in 1998 by the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana (UAM).
REUTERS VIDEO
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#TheManilaTimes
#tmtnews
#mexico
#axolotls
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00You
00:30You
01:00You
01:30You
01:43You