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Characterization and Valuation of Paleontological Heritage: A Perspective from Argentina

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Abstract

Argentina has a rich and diverse paleontological heritage, with fossil sites pertaining to every epoch from the Cambrian to the Holocene. In recent years, National Law 25.743/2003 has been more useful to achieve a basic level of planning protection for many of Argentina’s important fossil sites. In this article, a methodology is proposed for assessing the heritage values of paleontological sites in order to justify their inclusion into national and regional territory planning, an outstanding guarantee protection from the adverse effects of developments. Building knowledge and understanding of the landscapes and their resources, and developing assessment criteria are essential to influencing land planning policy, as well as increasing public awareness and appreciation of paleontological heritage.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is the result of research conducted within the framework of Unidad Ejecutora del Instituto de Investigaciones de Arqueológicas y Paleontológia del Cuaternario Pampeano (UE INCUAPA) Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-UNICEN. The authors would like to thank César González Pérez for critically reading and improving the earlier drafts of the manuscript. Daniel Rafuse revised the English text. Funding was provided by the Projects ANPCYT (http://www.agencia.gov.ar) and PICT 011-0561, grants from the National University of Center Buenos Aires Province (http://www.unicen.edu.ar), and CONICET to the UE INCUAPA. The funders had no role in the study design, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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  1. UE INCUAPA CONICET-UNICEN, National University of Central Buenos Aires Province, Del Valle 5737, B7400JWI, Olavarría, Argentina

    María Luz Endere & José Luis Prado

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  1. María Luz Endere
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  2. José Luis Prado
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Correspondence to José Luis Prado.

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Endere, M.L., Prado, J.L. Characterization and Valuation of Paleontological Heritage: A Perspective from Argentina. Geoheritage 7, 137–145 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-014-0124-x

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