Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

A globally significant palaeontological resource is an integral part of Scotland’s geoheritage. A strong amateur collector tradition, extending back over two centuries has helped fuel scientific advance with the fossil resource also supporting hobby collecting. However, during the long history of collecting activity, finite fossil resources have been under pressure with instances of large-scale collecting that has damaged some particularly vulnerable localities. Legislative provisions over recent decades offer robust site-based protection that will have safeguarded some of the best and most representative fossil localities. Additionally, the Scottish Fossil Code, the first national code of its type, has had a role in helping to raise awareness of Scotland’s fossil heritage and engender its responsible collecting and subsequent care. The Code as designed appears to be working to an extent. However bespoke site management approaches are required for the most vulnerable localities with additional site safeguard measures being adopted where required. Care is being given to ensure that ongoing and potential future efforts to curb occasional instances of damaging collecting activity do not operate to the detriment of the amateur collector tradition and the encouragement of interest in palaeontology particularly in younger and future generations.

Fossil collecting for scientific and educational reasons, as well as to support natural curiosity, has taken place in England since at least the late eighteenth century. It was not, however, until the late nineteenth, and particularly the mid-twentieth century, that site-based conservation of palaeontological heritage, and the management of collecting, was established. This paper provides a brief overview of the development of the policy and practice of palaeontological heritage management in England. It includes an outline of the establishment of national legislation, and a summary of the practical approaches to managing palaeontological sites and the collection of fossils that have been adopted. A number of examples are used to illustrate the application of this approach in different circumstances, including the coastal and quarrying environments.

The western Pyrenees is a territory with a remarkable geodiversity and an important fossil record, which constitutes a large archive of palaeobiodiversity. With respect to the vertebrate fossil record, the western Pyrenees (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Pamplona Basin and the north-western sector of the Ebro Basin) are relevant both from the point of view of palaeontological sites and fossil collections. Several vertebrate fossil sites are integrated into the Inventory of Geological Interest Sites (LIG) with high to very high palaeontological interest of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. The valuation of the palaeobiodiversity and fossil record is an important step for the study of palaeontological heritage of a territory and the set-up of geoconservation designations (e.g., LIG, geosites). However, the mere inclusion of the palaeontological assents in these geoconservation designations does not guarantee either their protection and conservation or the suitable management of the fossil collection The scientific and cultural dissemination of the palaeontological heritage of a territory like one studied here should have greater collaboration between the palaeontologists that have valued the palaeontological assets and the technicians and institutions that manage them. This requires the provision of specific budgetary items that enable the development of the different activities of research, conservation and social dissemination of this heritage.

The Floresta Massif, located in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, has a diverse and precious natural heritage. It is one of the areas that contains an exceptional palaeontological heritage of the Middle Devonian not only of Colombia, but also of South America. This heritage is represented by fossil specimens of marine fauna and terrestrial flora (correlated with North America and Europe) of the Floresta and Cuche Formations, respectively. Since 2004, actions made by several academic and research institutions, community and local government have introduced schoolchildren, teenagers and University students to art and science, and have promoted the conservation of palaeontological heritage as an essential, vibrant and relevant discipline. The high diversity of invertebrates, fishes and terrestrial plant fossils unearthed has promoted teaching and outreach projects, the creation of a small Museum of Palaeontology in the Floresta municipality, and the aim of developing a geotouristic ring road in the Floresta municipality and towns surrounding the Floresta massif. These initiatives are a lively example of conservation and good use of the palaeontological heritage of Floresta.

The deficient management of the paleontological heritage through the environmental impact assessment procedures from the Valencian public administrations, linked mainly to the lack of competent technical means in the matter, results in an almost abandonment of it. On the contrary, the archaeological heritage has a series of perfectly structured tools that allow any possible impact on it regarding projects and actions subject to environmental impact assessment that can be detected and corrected. The damage that this situation creates results in the abandonment and almost absolute lack of protection of the palaeontological heritage in the Valencian Community. Despite how much has been written defending the location of paleontological heritage in the administrative field of Natural Heritage, the legal reality in the whole of the Spanish state is another, being based on its inclusion in the procedures together with the cultural heritage. This work defends the incorporation of a series of small legislative changes that make possible to equate the management of the palaeontological heritage with that of the archaeological one in the Valencian Community, thus avoiding the comparative torts that currently occur.

El Inventario Español de Lugares de Interés Geológico (en adelante IELIG) es un inventario de patrimonio geológico sistemático de reconocimiento avanzado, que está diseñado metodológicamente para cubrir todo el territorio español e identificar los Lugares de Interés Geológico (en adelante LIG) de relevancia nacional de cada uno de los dominios geológicos del país. Este inventario está recogido expresamente en la Ley 42/2007 de patrimonio natural y la biodiversidad y del Real Decreto 556/2011, 20 de abril, para el desarrollo del Inventario Español del Patrimonio Natural y la Biodiversidad. Por este motivo, el IELIG tiene que ser representativo de la geodiversidad española y comprende LIG de todas las disciplinas de la Geología, incluyendo aquellos cuyo interés principal es de tipo paleontológico. Se han cuantificado los diferentes tipos de LIG de acuerdo a sus principales intereses taxonómico y geográfico. Algunos de ellos han sido seleccionados para relacionarlos con el patrimonio mueble y analizar los diversos factores que les han afectado a lo largo del tiempo.

El compromiso con la preservación del patrimonio geológico y paleontológico ha constituido una prioridad para el Museo Paleontológico de Elche – Fundación Cidaris desde los inicios de su actividad. En este contexto se ha desarrollado una estrategia de trabajo (FOPALI) en el que la valoración patrimonial es concebida como una herramienta de gestión. Se exponen aquí las bases metodológicas del modelo FOPALI y las técnicas de análisis aplicadas para ofrecer a los gestores del patrimonio la información necesaria para establecer prioridades en la investigación, conservación y difusión del patrimonio geológico y paleontológico.

The Palaeontological and Archaeological Museum “Ildefonso Recio Valverde” was recently opened in Totanés (Toledo). The material included in this museum mostly belonged to the personal collection of I. Recio, who donated it to this municipality to contribute to the dissemination of Palaeontology and Archaeology. Its creation, and the even more recent discovery of a Neolithic cromlech in its vicinity, provides this small village with great potential to become a centre for heritage tourism and scientific outreach. This paper presents the process of arranging the museum and cataloguing the paleontological collection, as well as outlining its value as a local museum.

The palaeontological heritage evaluation of the Somosaguas fossil geosite has been revised on the basis of scientific and sociocultural criteria. By means of this study have been proposed four new criteria that arise from new scientific and social trends as well as technological advances. A temporal comparison has been established with previous evaluations obtained in the years 2000 and 2012. The results indicated an increase in the initial score of the geosite in each revision. Our study shows the relevance of palaeontological heritage evaluations as useful tools to improve fossil geosites management.

Concerning palaeontological and geological heritage of a particular place, being or not being under legal protection influences its preservation. As two examples, cases of Clot de Galvany Municipal Natural Park and Elche reservoir surroundings are exposed. Developed by the Palaeontologic Museum of Elche, Project FOPALI assessment methodology has been applied.