The 'living fossil' fish swimming back from near extinction in Romania - its only home on our planet

Guarded by Romania's highest mountain peak, Moldoveanu, and the highest hill, Chiciora, flows the winding Vâlsan River - the world's only refuge of the asprete,a near-extinct, mysterious-looking 'living fossil' fish that needs humans back in its corner to survive and thrive. And the Aspretele Trăiește/Asprete Livesconservation project is committed to achieving just that. And more.

Unchanged for millions of years, the asprete is today the rarest freshwater fish species in Europe and one of the rarest in the world. Still rated critically endangered, it's been resisting myriad threats despite being a protected species living in a protected area.