Protecting Newfoundland’s Palaeontological Geoheritage: Mitigating Anthropic and Environmental Damage to the Ediacaran Fossils of Upper Island Cove

Abstract

Over 250 fossils belonging to the Ediacaran biota have been recognised from a single site in the town of Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland. These fossils preserve high-relief, sub-mm morphological detail providing an opportunity to further our understanding of some of the earliest Ediacaran organisms. Unlike many other Ediacaran localities, the geoheritage of this site is at risk to both high impact anthropic and environmental events due to its location within the town and close proximity to the ocean. As part of a year-long study, cameras were set up to record potentially deleterious events impacting the fossiliferous surface. Rare high impact anthropic events such as vandalism have been noted at the site, alongside the potential for inadvertent damage caused by misuse through poor footwear and inappropriate activities. Environmental events are more common and present a high risk of damage to the fossils through high-energy waves covering the surface and the formation of sheets of ice during the winter that engulf the fossils on numerous occasions. Work is now underway to implement geoconservation methods that will mitigate the challenges that the site faces and minimise any future damage. Some of these methods may be pertinent to other at-risk fossil localities found across the world.