The study of fossils and prehistoric species is exploitative of local communities, says international team
The public image of palaeontologists as dusty, but rather affable academics, could be due an update. The study of ancient life is a hotbed of unethical and inequitable scientific practices rooted in colonialism, which strip poorer countries of their fossil heritage, and devalue the contributions of local researchers, scientists say.
If you think of unethical activity and community exploitation by palaeontologists perhaps you think of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This piece that appeared in The Guardian suggests that you would be wrong. Such questionable practices appear to be occurring now and are prevalent today. These are quaint matters of respect and justice, instead they are fundamental for the ethical conduct of research. If your institution includes palaeontologists, you should be providing professional development on the ethical and respectful conduct of research.
For instance, in the Araripe Basin in northeast Brazil – a region famous for its huge array of well-preserved prehistoric fossils, including giant winged pterosaurs – 88% of discovered fossils are now housed in foreign museum collections.
Juan Carlos Cisneros at the Federal University of Piauí in Brazil and colleagues scrutinised paleontological publications of fossils discovered in Brazil and Mexico over the past three decades. These countries have large, and relatively unexplored sedimentary basins harbouring a wealth of fossilised creatures, plants and fungi.
