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Brazilian fossils are not necessarily cultural heritage

Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024)Cite this article

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In their Comment published in Nature Ecology & Evolution concerning the part that scientific societies can play in the repatriation of fossils, Araújo-Júnior et al.1 did not consider the complete set of laws that govern fossils in Brazil. This gives the impression that Brazilian law predominantly considers fossils as cultural heritage. In fact, Brazilian legislation is conflicted on issues related to the identification, protection and management of palaeontological heritage. In different Brazilian laws (Table 1), fossils are variously considered as (1) a mineral resource, used for the production of cement, fertilizers, ornamental rocks and so on; (2) an educational resource in accordance with Law No. 13.575/2017, article 2, item XIII, when intended for museums and research institutions; and (3) cultural heritage, where recognized by the responsible body, the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN)2,3.

Table 1 Complete Brazilian legislation related to fossils
Full size table

Just as not all urban complexes or sites of ecological value are cultural heritage, not every fossil or palaeontological site can be considered cultural heritage. To date, IPHAN has recognized only the ‘Fossil Forest’ on the Potim River (1510/2003) as cultural heritage4. The fact that the recognition of palaeontological sites as cultural heritage by IPHAN is rare reinforces the conclusion that, on the whole, Brazil currently considers fossils to be mineral heritage2,3,5. As such, the National Mining Agency (ANM) is the body that is responsible for authorizing and managing research that involves fossils.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá, Brazil

    Caiubi Emanuel Souza Kuhn

  2. Paleontology Commission, Brazilian Federation of Geologists (FEBRAGEO), Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Caiubi Emanuel Souza Kuhn, Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira Reis, André Luis Spisila, Marjorie Csekö Nolasco, Abdelmajid Hach Hach & Adelir José Strieder

  3. Department of Geology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Ismar de Souza Carvalho

  4. Geosciences Center, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Ismar de Souza Carvalho

  5. Center for Applied Natural Sciences (UNESPetro) and Department of Environmental Engineering, Institute of Geosciences and Exact Sciences (IGCE), Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil

    Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira Reis

  6. CPRM - Geological Survey of Brazil, Curiba, Brazil

    André Luis Spisila

  7. PG Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences Modeling (PPGM), Professional Master’s Degree in National Network for Teaching Environmental Sciences (PROFCIAMB), and Advanced Campus of Chapada Diamantina (CACD), State University of Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil

    Marjorie Csekö Nolasco

  8. Curitiba University Center, Unicuritiba, Curitaba, Brazil

    Abdelmajid Hach Hach

  9. Geological Engineering – Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil

    Adelir José Strieder

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  1. Caiubi Emanuel Souza Kuhn
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Correspondence to Caiubi Emanuel Souza Kuhn.

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Kuhn, C.E.S., de Souza Carvalho, I., Reis, F.A.G.V. et al. Brazilian fossils are not necessarily cultural heritage. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02396-7

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