Management Practices Of The Italian Paleontological Heritage

Since 1927 Italian legislation joins palaeontological and archaeological goods, assigning their protection to the ministerial Superintendence, which however lacks competencies on fossils. Differently from the Italian archaeological heritage, the palaeontological is endowed with such a nature and diffusion, that its protection as a whole is unattainable. If this legislation has provided good results, protecting the many fossils dug up or collected in almost a century of enforcement, this is mainly thanks to the collaboration with universities, museums and amateur palaeontological associations. One aspect where this involvement has been crucial concerns the estimate of the value of palaeontological heritage, first requisite to protect and preserve any good. The phenomena of illegal possession and black market are however still widespread. We propose to value the positive experience accomplished through the Memorandum no. 63 of 15 February 1999, reconvening a permanent National Paleontological Committee, and a more incisive legislative intervention to free from the duty to protect fossils of little or no value.