Museum leaders push to grant fossils national treasure protection in the UK
Senior museum officials are urging the UK to treat fossils like cultural treasures under the Waverley export rules, after a Jurassic Coast collection was sold abroad for a large sum.
Senior figures from Britain’s leading museums are campaigning for fossils to be classified as national treasures, extending the Waverley export controls that presently protect only manufactured artifacts. Their demand comes after a private assemblage of 318 Jurassic Coast fossils was sold to the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi for a reported eight-figure amount, a deal that UK museums could not match financially. While institutions like the Natural History Museum in London and Amgueddfa Cymru were offered the chance to acquire the specimens, budget constraints forced them to decline.
The editorial notes that unlike Brazil or Mongolia, the UK relies on voluntary codes rather than state ownership of paleontological material. It also references the rising market value of fossils, citing high-profile sales at auctions and interest from celebrities, and stresses the scientific and educational importance of keeping such specimens accessible for future research and public display.
Why it matters
Protecting fossils as national treasures would keep important scientific resources in public hands and prevent loss to private overseas collections.
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