The Queensland government’s proposal to build a $35 million conservation centre for threatened species at the site of the proposed Traveston Dam is a poor substitute for allowing these creatures to flourish in their natural habitat, said the Greens today.

“Building a conservation centre for a species you are sending towards extinction is laughable,” said Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, Larissa Waters.

“Leaked studies by the Queensland government on the Burnett River’s Paradise Dam show that dams irrevocably destroy lungfish breeding habitat, and that lungfish aren’t successfully using the fish ladders to travel up and down the river.

“Traveston Dam would be the death knell for the 110 million year old Queensland lungfish, one of our iconic fish species.

“The state and federal governments cannot approve Traveston dam in reliance on a fish ladder to save the lungfish, in the face of evidence showing they don’t work. That would make a mockery of our federal threatened species laws and of the environmental impact statement under state laws.

“Risking this iconic species for a dam that won’t even solve the current water crisis is ludicrous.

“The dam wouldn’t be built until 2011, climate change will mean rainfall patterns ensure the dam is even less likely to ever fill up, and it is a tragic waste of good quality farming land so close to a city centre.

“The Mary Valley community don’t want this dam, and nor do the majority of Brisbane residents that I speak to. It would be a social, economic and environmental disaster.

“Building Traveston dam would be like noticing your wallet is empty so deciding to buy a new wallet. They don’t come full.

“Government should be proposing sustainable solutions to the water crisis, like water recycling, rainwater tanks for every home, stormwater harvesting and demand management,” concluded Ms Waters.