Research paper
Improving geoconservation of the palaeontological heritage through a semiotic vision
MARÍA HELENA HENRIQUES
Department of Earth Sciences and Geosciences Center, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra (Polo II), Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal. hhenriq@dct.uc.pt
Corresponding author
RUI PENA DOS REIS
Department of Earth Sciences and Geosciences Center, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra (Polo II), Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal. penareis@dct.uc.pt
ABSTRACT
The panoply of reasons that may attract people to fossils, which result from the meaning they attribute to these palaeontological objects, may contribute to endangering of the integrity of the fossil record. Semiotics can be of great help to assist geoconservation actions, usually based only on expertise statements, and are of particular relevance in palaeontological heritage inventory, evaluation, conservation, valuation and monitoring procedures. This work argues that fossils can be envisaged as signs displaying different meanings among experts and nonspecialists. Such meanings support the heritage contents and values attributable to any palaeontological object and are affected by the relevance of the meanings assigned to the objects by the scientific communities (relevance grade), and the public understanding of such meanings as result of socialization and education (abstract perceptiveness). This integrated approach to the palaeontological heritage will be the most effective way of involving the community in all geoconservation actions and promote the sustainable use of fossils as natural resources by actors other than palaeontologists.
Key words: Fossils, semiotics, signs, palaeontological heritage, heritage contents.
How to cite: Henriques, M.H. & Pena Dos Reis, R. 2019. Improving geoconservation of the palaeontological heritage through a semiotic vision. Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 34 (1), 95-102.
Received 20 December 2018, Accepted 31 January 2019, Published 30 June 2019
https://doi.org/10.7203/sjp.34.1.15248
