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NEWS!!!
Online-shop for casts of Vendian fossils from collection of the Paleontological
Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences under construction.
The localities for the earliest metazoans (about 630-542 Ma, Vendian Period) situated in the White Sea area, Arkhangelsk Region are
unique in Russia and the finest in the World. These localities were only
recently discovered, and are still poorly studied. However there is a danger
that they could be destroyed by illegal collectors.
The wide distribution of scientific and semi-popular publications, the
appearance of newspaper articles about the paleontological research, and
traveling exhibitions of the Vendian fossils sure enough caused an increase in the activity of
paleontological poachers, the Russia fossils of Vendian animals collected and
exported illegally have appeared on sale. All these fossils are contraband.
The general abundance of the impressions of Vendian (Ediacaran) organisms is extremely low.
The remains are usually concentrated in relatively dense, but very infrequent
accumulations. Each of these are unique, always containing several species that
are restricted to the accumulation. Such accumulations are not more than several
tens of meters long along the strike of an outcrop and can be finished during
one field season. However, arguments about the uniqueness of the Vendian localities,
each one often the only one of its kind on the whole of the Earth, do not stop
private collectors. Illegal excavations lead to the impoverishment of
localities, finishing of small occurrences, destruction of host rocks, loss of
valuable geological data, and a great decrease in the probability of discoveries
of rare fossils species.
In 2005-2007, illicit digging of Vendian fossils in the Arkhangelsk Region
became massive. Solza river locality suffered from activity of paleontological
poachers very much in 2006-2007. In 2006 on one of the outcrops of this locality
the diggers made excavations of 200 m3, whereas
the total area of the excavated surface with impressions exceeded 100 m2.
For example, scientists make excavations of the surface with imprints 5-15 m2
for one season. Excavation on a similar scale in the Yarnema, Syuzma, and Karakhta localities
would lead to complete destruction of these localities of the Vendian fossils during one season.
The irreparable damage is done to world science, as the possibility of studying
whole groups of the earliest multicellular animals fossils, which can be found only in these unique
localities, can be lost forever.
All countries that have large sites containing imprints of Vendian organisms
(Russia, Australia, Namibia, and Canada) have forbidden commercial collecting and export
of the Vendian (Ediacaran) fossils and the localities were given the status of national nature
reserves, geological, or paleontological landmarks, or parks. UNESCO coordinates
and directs this work in the framework of the Program of Geoparks.
At present a number of measures for conservation of Vendian
localities of the Arkhangelsk region has been accepted:
- The Administration of the Arkhangelsk Region and Northern Committee of
Natural Reserves of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russian Federation
adopted a decree prohibiting collecting of the Vendian fossils on the territory
of the region.
- Regional organizations of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Federal Security
Service are prepared to join forces to help protecting the localities of the
Vendian animals.
- We struggle against illegal fossils trade.
- The next step should be in granting the White Sea localities of the Late Vendian
(Ediacaran)
animals fossils the status of the Paleontological Landmark of a regional,
and later of a federal level. This action is long awaited by the world
scientific community, because only after the above official status is received
by the localities of the Ediacaran fauna, UNESCO can begin the procedure of
transferring them from the candidates for World Natural Landmark Sites to the
actual members.
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