Paleontological salvage analysis in the context of the Brazilian environmental licensing.
Paleontological rescue; Paleontological monitoring; Paleontological salvage program; Paleontological heritage; Geoconservation; Environmental impact assessment.
Paleontological salvage is defined by the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM) Ordinance N° 155/2016 as the exhaustive sampling of fossils with the objective of mitigating the risk of destruction or irreversible damage to the fossil record. This process also includes necessary measures to promote the curation of the sampled material. In Brazil, these activities are sometimes a requirement for the issuing of environmental licenses of projects or activities with the potential of leading to the degradation of the paleontological heritage. This dissertation provides an overview of paleontological salvage activities in Brazil from the first record at the Agência Nacional de Mineração (ANM), formerly DNPM, in 2007, up to the year 2022. It also discusses the existing regulation guiding these activities and provides recommendations based on successful experiences in the management of paleontological salvage activities at a municipal level. Drawing from the experiences of other fields of study, such as speleology and archeology, this dissertation suggests replicable practices in paleontology to improve the analysis made by the environmental agencies regarding the necessity of requiring the implementation of paleontological salvage activities.