The role of Paleontological Heritage in UNESCO Global Geoparks

Abstract

The UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG) as program was based in the natural heritage conservation philosophy to promote sustainability. The idea allowed the creation and consolidation of national, continental and global networks of geoparks. The paleontological heritage developed an important task in the UGG progress and succession. Here, the analysis of the public material exposed in the geoparks’ and UNESCO’s websites can collaborate for the geoheritage valorization understanding. The data was collected take in account the geoparks descriptions of their geography, geoheritage and designation year. Was detailed by statistics, geoparks with paleontological heritage as main highlight. 57 UGGps have their own geological heritage as primary or secondary interest connected to paleontology. 13% of all geoparks were identified as a paleontological in their main geoheritage interest, and 11% as secondary interest associated to fossils. During the stage of Global Geopark Network (GGN) was noted a period with more designations of paleontological heritage geoparks. After, through the 2018-2020 interval in the UGG, it is observed another growth also. More than half of these “paleogeoparks” are part of the European continent. It is observable a strong relationship between territorial identity and paleontological heritage expressed by marketing strategy, when is possible found ammonites, trilobites, dinosaurs, tetrapod, petrified wood and other local fossils linked to the geopark image and divulgation, remarked in logotypes for example. Was possible recognize that some geological time or typologies of fossils are more common in the geoparks’ paleontological heritage, such as cretaceous, quaternary and vertebrate patrimonial records. In this direction was possible to consider pioneers UGGps to paleontological heritage, thus European and Asiatic continents with major quantity of “paleogeoparks”, as China, Germany, Spain, Canada, France and Greece – at least with five “paleogeoparks” per country. It is possible reconstruct the Earth’s history of life through the UGGps. Furthermore, other continents have potential to explore more the paleontological heritage to promote sustainable development.