In order to protect rich fossil remains, the Guizhou provincial
government has encouraged local institutions and individuals to set
up their own fossil museums.
Guizhou is a place well-known for its karst landform and has
been dubbed the kingdom of fossil remains in China. To date, four
areas in Guizhou have been discovered where large clusters of
fossils were unearthed. They are located in Guanling County, Xingyi
City, Weng'an County, and Kaili City.
On March 1, a regulation on geo-environmental management in
Guizhou will be published. The regulation stipulates that fossil
museums or institutions that collect and preserve fossils should
set up a filing system to keep a record of their collections and
report the information to county-level administrative bodies.
In order to curb fossil trafficking, a serious problem in the
province in recent years, the regulation has made clauses regarding
the excavation, collection, scientific use, shipping and export,
and exploration and assessment of fossils. It also states the legal
liabilities of people and institutions that collect or preserve
fossils. The regulation forbids any individuals or institutions to
excavate or trade fossils without the government's approval.
(China News Service February 27, 2007)
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