Geopark Uberaba: Relevance of the Geological Heritage

The Uberaba region (Minas Gerais, Brazil) has become famous for its significant paleontological investigation, which has been conducted there since the mid 1940s. Several taxa, especially of vertebrates, unique in the paleobiological record, come from its fossiliferous outcrops, associated with Uberaba and Marília formations (Bauru Basin). Among these, the dinosaurs are especially important, as they are exceptionally well preserved and diversified, allowing the description of several species and consolidating Uberaba as the Land of Brazilian Dinosaurs. The establishment, in 1991, of the Paleontological Research Center Llewellyn Ivor Price and Dinosaur Museum, in the neighborhood of Peirópolis, allowed the establishment of research and educational actions to the preservation of the geological heritage that transformed the local conditions through geotourism. Besides the fossiliferous content, the diverse geosites also comprise the important moments of the geological history, making them extremely relevant places of the geological heritage, in accordance with what is expected from a geopark. In 2010, the Paleontological Research Center L.I. Price and the Dinosaur Museum became part of the Cultural and Scientific Complex of Peirópolis of the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro. The Geopark Uberaba–Land of Brazilian Dinosaurs was created in that same year, prompted by the Geopark Project of the Geological Service of Brazil. The integration of the geological heritage to the historical and cultural attributes of national significance allowed the building of a unique identity for this territory. Nowadays, in Uberaba, fossils are no longer limited to scientific knowledge; they symbolize the socioeconomic and environmental development tools, which are allowing the sustainable regional development.