Last month the Tasmanian government gave the final go-ahead to build a highway bridge that could disturb a 40,000-year-old Aboriginal archeological site — the oldest evidence of human habitation in the southern hemisphere.

The trove of Aboriginal artifacts — tools, stones and spear tips — were discovered last fall in a grassy floodplain by the Jordan River, where the bridge — part of a new highway 20 years in the planning and deemed by the state as essential infrastructure — was slated to be built. Immediately, archeologists and conservationists, the Aboriginal community, and even some government officials, began calling for site protection.

Those calls, as well as a legal challenge, failed. The Tasmanian state government said it had investigated alternative routes but found none to be viable. On April 11, the state approved the final construction permits, and contractors erected fencing around the disputed land to begin construction.

Protestors quickly mobilized, joining a group that had already been occupying a camp at the site, and decided to challenge police at the fence and climb the barricade to stop initial excavation work. Over the course of a week, more than 20 people were arrested.

In a conciliatory gesture, the Tasmanian infrastructure minister said an additional $15 million would be spent to ensure the bridge does not disturb the ancient artifacts. The government has also offered the Aboriginal community land on either side of the bridge so that an interpretation site could be built, but it was not immediately clear whether that offer would be accepted.

On April 21, Aboriginal activists officially called off their protests at the site, saying they didn’t believe that continued arrests would stop the bridgework. However, they also said they had not ruled out future actions.

Trudy Maluga of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Center noted that the Aboriginal protests had not been in vain: “We are winning the war, people are talking about Aboriginal heritage, which they haven’t done for years.” She said protesters would now push for legislative changes to give the Aboriginal community greater control over heritage sites.