In Australia, the world's driest continent, the north-eastern state of Queensland is in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years. To alleviate the situation, the state government is pushing hard for one of the country's most beautiful river valleys to be dammed. However, a strange and ancient fish held sacred by Aborigines has emerged as an unexpected obstacle to the government's plans.
The Queensland lungfish (neoceratodus forsteri) is recognised by scientists as a living fossil crucial to understanding the evolution of animals from water to land. Earliest fossil records date its existence back some 380 million years. The large-scaled creature with only one lung can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh as much as 40 kilos. It's now a protected species which may not be captured without a special permit.
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Click to listen to the story, part of the Global Perspective 2007 series. |
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Saving the fish
Eve Fesl is an elder of the Gubbi Gubbi people in south-east Queensland who lost their land to white settlers long ago. She was brought up to believe that she has a duty to protect the 'dala', as the lungfish is known in her native language. Now aged 76, Eve returns to the riverbank where her mother was born and argues strongly that dala is "a whisper from the past" we all need to hear.
"We hope that everyone will help us try to save the fish," says Eve Fesl, who has written a song about dala. "It's in the interest of the international community. It's the ancient genome and people in other countries are concerned about it. This is its only viable habitat and it won't be here if that dam goes ahead."
An environmental study investigating impact on threatened species such as the Queensland Lungfish has to be completed before the Mary River dam can go ahead, and it's still possible the Australian Government could overrule the Queensland state government. No final decision is expected before the end of 2007.
This program is a production of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of the international documentary series Global Perspective 2007 - focusing on the theme Belief. |
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Tags: australia, global perspective, lung fish, lungfish, mary river, preservation, queensland, water