The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

Figure 2.25: Dinosaur tracks conserved in an old quarry.2.5 Important rock exposures should be conservedOld quarries and mining areas can be excellent for wildlife, since they often have a widerange of environments, from rocky ledges where birds can nest, to marshy areas for <strong>we</strong>tlandcreatures. Ho<strong>we</strong>ver, some are worth preserving because of their geological interest.For example, it is important to preserve dinosaur tracks (Figure 2.25) and trails or fossilforests, but it may be equally important to preserve small fossil sites, or areas whererock-forming environments can be seen particularly easily. In the UK, sites of particularscientific interest, that can be both biological or geological, are identified as ‘Sites ofSpecial Scientific Interest’. SSSIs cannot be used for development unless special permissionis granted. Other sites that don’t have national importance, but are still valuablefor scientific or educational purposes are designated in the UK as ‘Regionally ImportantGeological and Geomorphological Sites’ (RIGS). Really large and importantareas can be designated as World Heritage Sites, such as the ‘Jurassic Coast’ along thecoastline of Southern England, whilst many regions across the world are being given68