Living coelacanths: values, eco-ethics and human responsibility

Coelacanths Latllnena chalumnae are the only liv~ng representatives of crossopterygian fish close to the roots of our own vertebrate history and therefore occupy a unique positlon among living fossils. L. chalun~nae has become a synonym for long evolutionary age, timeless existence, tenacity, immortality and links to old roots, appearing in language, poetry, fiction and many art forms. It is a symbol of a new national identity in the Cornoro Archipelago, Western Indian Ocean. I consider here the Intrinsic and extrinsic value of coelacanths and the role of these fish in blodiversity conservation. The fate of coelacanths lies in our hands. It wlll be a measure of the success or failure of 'eco-ethics' as recently defined and called for by ecologists. KEY WORDSLatimeria . Conservation Living fossil