In recent years, the Ambystoma mexicanum has become so popular among the inhabitants of Mexico City that it has become a symbol of the region and has played a key role in the conservation of ecosystems in the south of the Mexican capital.
【Mexico city INPS Japan＝Guillermo Ayala Alanis】
An amphibian native to the Basin of Mexico, which measures 30 centimeters long and has a friendly appearance because when you look at it, it seems to be smiling, has become an important connector for the preservation of the ecosystem of Xochimilco, a lake area located in the south of Mexico City, that has high ecological, historical and cultural value dating back to pre-Hispanic times. ｜SPANISH｜JAPANESE｜
In recent years, the Axolotls o Mexican salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum) has become a symbol of Mexico City that can be seen everywhere. It is painted on murals as a component of urban art, on money that is used all over the country, as well as in universities and Research Centers that have taken advantage of the salamander and its charismatic appearance to study its biological and social aspects. Doctor, José Antonio Ocampo Cervantes, Head of the Cuemanco Biological and Aquaculture Research Project of the Autonomous Metropolitan University, Xochimilco Unit (UAM-X) assured that the Mexican salamander is an animal that has become a link of great importance for the preservation of the natural area of Xochimilco, home to several animal and plant species and an important lung of the Mexican capital. “We can use it as a symbol of conservation, take advantage of that characteristic, that empathy that people have towards the salamander and say well… if we like it, we must conserve the species, but we must also conserve the entire ecosystem on which this species depends. I think that is where the importance… It is a species that is like an intermediate energy flow between the aquatic system and the terrestrial system”.
Since 2017, Dr. Ocampo has directed the Center for Biological and Aquaculture Research of Cuemanco belonging to UAM-X, a space located in the heart of the natural protected area of Xochimilco and whose function in addition to research and contribute to the teaching of students of this university, is to preserve and promote among society the conservation of this emblematic area of high ecological value for Mexico City, since in addition to the salamander, it is home to birds, rodents and fish.
In an interview for INPS News, Dr. Ocampo commented that as part of these activities to promote and link citizens with nature, CIBAC organizes guided visits to schools and vulnerable groups of all ages, which he says are amazed by the axolotls and their habitat: “We have visits from kindergarten to graduate school, vulnerable groups such as homeless children. People like it very much because when they arrive the first thing they say is that they could not imagine that there was a place like this, it doesn’t seem like we are in the middle of the city, you don’t hear noise and you can hear the birds.
In 1998 a study reported by the UAM indicate that in Xochimilco Lake there were 6, 000 axolotls per Square Kilometers but, in 2014, a study by the Institute of Biology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) reported that there were already only 35 amphibians per Square Kilometers due to the contamination of their habitat, the invasion of species in its ecosystem and the reduction of the space where it lives, so it is important to preserve the original specimens in captivity, since there are less specimens in the wild.
Although in captivity the axolotl has been able to reproduce in light colors such as pink or white, CIBAC researches and preserves the phenotype of the original axolotl, which is black, has gills on the back of its head and always remains young because it does not mutate to become a salamander, so it could well be called the Peter Pan of nature.
It is important to remember that the Mexican salamander is a species that is also very much studied due to its capacity to regenerate parts of its body such as limbs and brain. Universities around the world have specimens to try to decipher some of the secrets of its genome, which is 10 times larger than that of the human being, and that if deciphered could help scientists to develop regenerative medicine projects to treat affections associated with cancer and aging.
At CIBAC, in addition to the study of the salamander, there is also research on the cultivation of plants and vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers, free of pesticides and industrialized products.
In addition, there is research with the care and preservation of species native to the basin of Mexico. Among them are some birds and butterflies such as the Monarch and Leptophobia aripa, which are studied, cared for and monitored in a butterfly garden.
The link between the axolotl and its community in Xochimilco can also be seen a few meters from CIBAC, in the tourist area where the trajineras are located, a type of boat emblematic of Xochimilco that serves as an attraction for visitors from all over the world because of the colorful boats. In this area, the inhabitants have understood that the axolotl is one more inhabitant of Xochimilco that helps them to have an international presence and which they have integrated into their activities with visitors by having it present in paintings and in the trajineras themselves.
In 2018, the Mexican Senate declared February 1 the National Day of the Axolotl, with the aim of highlighting the importance of this enigmatic amphibian in the ecosystem and the country’s cultural identity.
INPS Japan
This article is brought to you by INPS Japan in partnership with Soka Gakkai International, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.