Human Activities
The axolotl's decline began when Spanish conquerors started draining the lakes. They which were further emptied over time as a water source for Mexico City, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing cities. In the 1970s, Lake Chalco was completely drained to prevent flooding. In the 1980s, Mexico City began pumping its wastewater back into it and the other few canals and lagoons that remained of Xochimilco.
About 20 years ago, African tilapia were introduced to create fisheries. They along with the Asian carp dominated the ecosystem of Lake Chalco and ate the axolotl's eggs and competed with them for food. The axolotl is also threatened by agrochemical runoff from nearby farms and treated wastewater from a nearby sewage plant.
Hundreds of people make a living fishing tilapia from canals or growing flowers, lettuce and vegetables on the nearby land. We would make efforts to remove the tilpia and shut down polluting farms.