The Guardian view on the export of fossils: they deserve national treasure status | Editorial

Scientific specimens are being sold to foreign museums or snapped up by the super-rich. They should have the same legal protections as works of art As Sir David Attenborough has observed , “there’s nothing more magical than finding a shiny shell and knowing you’re the first person to have seen it for 150 million years”. Senior museum figures are campaigning for fossils to be classed as national treasures, according to the Waverley criteria , which control the export of objects considered culturally important to the nation. But the rules only cover natural treasures that are “made”, excluding f