Should Neglected Fossils Be Considered as Geoheritage? The Case of Cenozoic Vertebrates Found in the Province of León (Spain)

Abstract

Although most work on geological heritage focuses on sites, geological objects, usually organized as collections, also belong to this heritage. Among paleontological collections, it is common to find sets of fossils gathered in historical times or by amateurs. In many cases, these fossils lack detailed information about their precise provenance, while others have been lost or forgotten for decades and have not been used in modern scientific studies. This paper raises the question of whether or not such collections should be part of geoheritage and proposes an evaluation system designed to determine both the current and the potential value of a collection or an ensemble collection. The evaluation system is based on eleven criteria, of which seven assess a collection’s scientific interest while the other four aim to establish its socio-cultural value. An in-depth study of several historical and amateur collections of Cenozoic fossil vertebrates from the province of León (Spain) was carried out to test the proposed system. This study involved a major bibliographical review, field prospecting, restoration, and taxonomic study of specimens. The work has enabled the updating of the fossil record for the region studied providing information to further our understanding of palaeobiology and geology from the Cenozoic era in the Duero Basin. As a result of testing the proposed evaluation system, we propose some recommendations regarding the assessment of neglected or problematic fossil collections in the heritage context.