W4. PaleoParks and the threat to our basic data
Organiser: Jere Lipps
Sponsor: International Palaeontological Association
Fossil sites across the world are endangered by development, construction, collecting, and vandalism, even though many outstanding examples have been protected in World Heritage Sites, national parks, monuments and reserves, state and provincial parks, and local government and non-profit organizations, as well as by some private individuals. The International Palaeontological Association (IPA) established a PaleoParks Initiative to protect endangered sites and to catalogue and make public established parks of any nature that protect fossils in the ground; these are primary sources of scientific data, educational opportunities and recreational activities. Key places protecting 'living fossils' are also covered. (see 10 examples of PaleoParks in: Lipps and Granier 2009).
Organiser: Jere Lipps
Sponsor: International Palaeontological Association
Fossil sites across the world are endangered by development, construction, collecting, and vandalism, even though many outstanding examples have been protected in World Heritage Sites, national parks, monuments and reserves, state and provincial parks, and local government and non-profit organizations, as well as by some private individuals. The International Palaeontological Association (IPA) established a PaleoParks Initiative to protect endangered sites and to catalogue and make public established parks of any nature that protect fossils in the ground; these are primary sources of scientific data, educational opportunities and recreational activities. Key places protecting 'living fossils' are also covered. (see 10 examples of PaleoParks in: Lipps and Granier 2009).
IPA has 15 aims and goals (Lipps and Granier 2009) and a web site for documenting both established and proposed sites. The Workshop will consider these aims and goals and ways to improve the website. In addition to these, submitted papers will be presented on examples of new kinds of PaleoParks that protect a wider variety of fossils, including additional invertebrate sites and new microfossil and microbial sites or especially unique examples of fossils in the ground.
Lipps, Jere H., and Granier, Bruno (eds.). 2009. PaleoParks–the Preservation and Conservation of Fossil Sites Worldwide. Carnets du Geologie E-book).