Science and tradition converge in a project that seeks to rescue the achoque

For five decades, Froylán Correa made a living fishing in Pátzcuaro. In that same lake, he now dedicates himself to saving the achoque, a salamander regarded as an elixir in Mexico for its astonishing ability to regenerate its organs.

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A relative of the axolotl, this amphibian is “critically endangered” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list due to overfishing, pollution, and water extraction from its habitat in the state of Michoacán.

For this reason, biologists from the state-run Universidad Michoacana decided to involve the indigenous community of San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro in a project to reproduce the achoque , endemic to the area, in exchange for compensation.

Correa, a 60-year-old who knows the lake perfectly, is deeply involved in his work collecting the amphibian's eggs. "There was a lot of confusion... now the new generation doesn't know it," he says of the animal, whose gills, full of filaments around its head, resemble a mane of hair. The eggs are taken by biologist Rodolfo Pérez to his laboratory at the Universidad Michoacana, where they hatch. When the amphibians grow, they return to the fishermen's facilities , who care for them until they are ready to be released into the lake, explains Israel Correa, a relative of Froylán.

The axolotl belongs to the genus Ambystoma, studied by science for its extraordinary ability to regenerate mutilated limbs and parts of organs such as the brain and heart. It is related to the axolotl, which inhabits the lake area of Xochimilco, in southern Mexico City, and whose figure has adorned the 50-peso ($2.60) bill since 2021, considered the most "attractive" by the population, according to a survey by the Bank of Mexico.

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Evil God

Since pre-Hispanic times, the achoque has been used as a food and medicine. Indigenous people attribute nutritional and healing properties to it for respiratory illnesses. Its distinctive feature is the combination of colors that make it imperceptible.

According to legends from the town of Pátzcuaro, the achoque was first an evil god who hid in the mud of the lake to escape punishment from other deities.

Today, it's in danger of extinction, warns biologist Rodolfo Pérez, who is trying to hatch as many eggs as possible with the help of local residents. "It's been a lot of work," Pérez admits, noting that the biggest obstacle is "finding financial compensation" for the fishermen, since the choques require constant attention.

"We can't miss a day without coming, otherwise they'll die (...) Rain or shine, whether there's a festival or not, we have to be here," says Israel Correa. The collaboration between scientists and indigenous people has resulted in a "stable" achoque population, composed of between 80 and 100 individuals "in a very small fraction" of the lake, emphasizes Luis Escalera, Pérez's colleague at the Universidad Michoacana. This number, however, is "much lower than it was 40 years ago," Escalera laments.

Joint work between scientists and local communities, such as that occurring in San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro, demonstrates that conservation can be effective if it involves those who have lived alongside threatened ecosystems for generations. Froylán Correa, once a fisherman, is now the guardian of an endangered species. His transition demonstrates that traditional knowledge is key to rescuing what still survives.

The recovery of the achoque not only preserves a unique species, but also reshapes the human connection with nature. This community conservation model could be replicated in other biodiverse territories in Latin America.

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AFP