Newly-appointed Riversleigh World Heritage Advisory Committee to focus on fossil tourism

The Queensland Government’s newly appointed Riversleigh World Heritage Advisory Committee will focus on supporting tourism to one of the world’s most famous fossil sites, a site marker project and the development of a strategic management plan.

The committee includes palaeontologists, zoologists, geologists, archaeologists and anthropologists, and importantly, the Traditional Owners of the area, the Waanyi people have significant input as co-managers of the Boodjamulla National Park

The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is located in the south-eastern section of the Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park. It is one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world and the richest known fossil mammal deposit in Australia. It has revealed records of Gondwanan life forms which existed prior to the break up of this ancient continent.

D Site was one of the first major fossil deposits found at Riversleigh and is the only publicly accessible part of this World Heritage Area. Its fossils are from the late Oligocene period, dating back 25 million years. Turtles, fish, snails, crocodiles, lizards, pythons, birds and many types of mammal fossils have all been recovered from D Site.

Riversleigh’s fossils retain their three-dimensional structure because they are preserved in freshwater limestone which has not been compressed or flattened.

The committee visited Riversleigh D-Site to gain a better understanding of the landscape and significant scientific finds of this internationally iconic area.

QLD Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the committee identified three key focus areas for their first year of work:

• Progressing stage 4 of the Fossil Site Marker Project which ensures all extracted fossils are formally linked to their site of origin using best practice methodology.

• Finalisation of strategic planning for the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites serial property which includes Riversleigh and Naracoorte in South Australia.

• Contributing expertise to Tourism and Events Queensland’s Paleo Tourism Project, laying the foundation for the growth of this industry across the region.

It comes after the Queensland Government and Waanyi People earlier this year launched their joint management plan for Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park.

Minister Scanlon said the site was listed as a World Heritage site in 1994 and the Riversleigh World Heritage Advisory Committee will complement more than four decades of continuing scientific research at the site.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Outback Queensland was an emerging world leader in paleo tourism and added “many of the southern hemisphere’s best dinosaur finds and experiences are located right here in Outback Queensland.

“Riversleigh is an important part of Queensland’s rich palaeontological history and our Outback dinosaur-based visitor attractions.

“Dinosaur tourism accounts for more 11% of tourism’s $470 million contribution to the Outback economy and supports nearly 10% of all Outback Queensland jobs.”

Image top: Newly-appointed Riversleigh World Heritage Advisory Committee recently met in Mount Isa; Image above: fossil from Riversleigh World Heritage Area courtesy QLD Government