LIVING COELACANTHS - VALUES, ECO-ETHICS AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

Coelacanths Latimeria chalumnae are the only Living representatives of crossopterygian fish close to the roots of our own vertebrate history and therefore occupy a unique position among living fossils. L. chalu mnae has become a synonym for long evolutionary age, timeless existenc e, 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 Comoro Archipelago, Western Indian Ocean. I consider here the intrinsic and extrinsic value of coelacanths and the role of these fish in biodiversity conservation. The fate of coelacanths lies in our hands. It will be a measure of the success or failure of 'eco-e thics' as recently defined and called for by ecologists.