The International Union of Geological Sciences designates the MEH fossils as a Geocollection of global importance for their scientific, historical, and educational relevance

The institution, through the Subcommission of Geocollections of the International Commission on Geological Heritage, has included the permanent exhibition collection at the MEH among the world’s most prominent collections of movable geological heritage, during the latest International Geological Congress held in South Korea. The collection is considered “an exceptional scientific reserve that provides invaluable information about the appearance and way of life of distant human ancestors”.
MEH

 

The original fossils from the Sierra de Atapuerca, exhibited in the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Human Evolution, have been designated as a ‘Geocollection’ of global importance by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), “due to their particularly high scientific, historical, and educational relevance for geological sciences”. This designation was established during the 37th International Congress held in Busan, South Korea, where the MEH collection was included among ten other distinguished geological heritage collections worldwide.

 
According to the IUGS Subcommission on Geocollections, a Geocollection is a museum collection, or part of it, of global importance due to its exceptionally high scientific, historical, or educational value for
the geological sciences. The collection must include geological heritage elements such as rocks,
minerals, meteorites, and/or fossils “with extraordinary value”.
 
According to the IUGS, the MEH collection “constitutes an exceptional scientific reserve that provides invaluable information about the appearance and lifestyle of early human ancestors”. The Sierra de
Atapuerca holds the oldest and most abundant evidence of human presence in Europe. The sites offer an exceptional example of continuous human occupation, due to their unique ecosystems and geographic location. The fossil collection contains remains from original contexts in Sierra de Atapuerca, constituting an invaluable reserve of information about the physical nature and environmental relationships of Europe’s earliest human communities. On an educational level, the museum enhances knowledge about evolution and is visited by numerous educational institutions as a complementary learning resource for studies related to biology, geology, or archaeology.
 
The scientific value of such extraordinary collections, like the MEH fossils, “derives from their contribution to significant scientific advancement, exceptional scientific value, and scientific renown”. Moreover, this institution highlights that the educational value of a collection such as the Atapuerca fossils “lies in its availability for educational purposes through visits and other outreach activities”, and that “data and/or images associated with the collection are available digitally and are freely accessible to anyone”.
 
Other requirements for a collection to be designated as a Geocollection include size, accessibility during designated opening hours, permanent conservation, and uniqueness.
 
 
The highest scientific value

The fossil collection from the Museum, included as a Geocollection by the IUGS, is exclusively from the palaeontological sites of Gran Dolina, Galería, Sima del Elefante, Sima de los Huesos, Portalón, and Mirador, located in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). The collection consists of human, animal, and lithic tool remains dated between 1.3 million and 36,000 years ago. "At the moment, the museum's" collection has the best fossil specimens of two species with public access: Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis. These palaeontological discoveries, under the management of the Junta de Castilla y León, were declared a World Heritage site in 2000. Furthermore, the collection is linked to an ongoing research project studying human activities in the Sierra de Atapuerca, conducted by the Atapuerca Research Team and affiliated with several research centres.
 
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), founded in 1961, coordinates international geoscientific research programs through the International Geological Congresses, which have been held every four years since 1875. With members representing 115 countries and regions, 8 commissions, 4 working groups, and 38 affiliated organisations, the IUGS is one of the largest and most active scientific associations in the world. One of its goals is to establish an international program to identify and recognise Geocollections of the highest scientific value through the Subcommission of Geocollections of the International Commission on Geological Heritage.
 
On its website, the IUGS explains that Geocollections contain physical specimens and their metadata, which are crucial for understanding the Earth and extraterrestrial bodies. “Geocollections educate and inspire the public, preserve the planetary record for future generations, and at the same time, facilitate research”, providing a foundation for understanding Earth processes across all temporal and spatial scales, from the microscopic to the planetary.