Paleopiracy revives colonialism spat over Brazil’s fossil protections

With a number of renowned archeological sites across its territory, Brazil is a crucial location for paleontological research. Yet, when examining the data, a vast number of scientific publications on fossil discoveries in Brazil are authored by foreigners who have no links to Brazilian research institutions. And, despite legislation forbidding the export of holotype specimens — fossils used to describe a given species — from Brazil, large quantities of these fossils are now housed in museums abroad.

This phenomenon, often called “paleopiracy,” has been a known problem in Brazil for some time. But a recent scientific paper shows that the issue may be far more widespread than once thought.

Published in scientific journal Royal Society Open Science, the article analyzed 71 academic works concerning paleontological material found in the Araripe Basin in northern Brazil between 1990 and 2020. 

The study found that almost 60 percent of papers were led by foreign scientists, of which half presented no evidence of collaboration with Brazilian researchers or institutions. Furthermore, 88 percent of the holotype specimens referred to in the works are no longer in Brazil and have yet to be returned. 

Among these fossils taken to be housed in foreign collections, none had export permits. The paper states that several articles provided only vague statements of providence and no information whatsoever regarding how these fossils ended up outside Brazil. Some studies stated that specimens were purchased or “obtained from a fossil digger” or “quarry workmen.”

Since 1942, it has been illegal in Brazil to privately own a fossil. In 1990, a decree regulating foreign palaeontological...