The territory of the Araripe Geopark, located in Northeast Brazil, covers a wide range of aspects related to earth and life sciences, as well as other aspects in the socio-cultural sphere that result from a complex interaction linked to the geology of the region. A key element for this diversity is the paleontological heritage that exists in the area and which was one of the bases for the creation of this geopark. The knowledge of the diversity and exquisite preservation of the fossils from the Araripe Geopark results from a long history of prospection of natural resources, starting in the eighteenth century. Since these first discoveries, the records of life in the area of the Araripe sedimentary basin were exceptional. To this day, the first natural resources prospected by João da Sylva Feijó transcend the perception of fossils as mere remains of past life on Earth. The excellent quality of these paleontological records enables new understanding of organic matter preservation processes. This knowledge built over 200 years of research and results in a new perception of the relevance of the Araripe Geopark fossils. Thus, the history of paleontology in this geopark intertwines with the history of scientific knowledge since the eighteenth century. Observation and exploration of natural resources have led to the first discovery of fossils in the region, as well as the scientific understanding of the importance of these records of past life on Earth. Additionally, that increase in scientific knowledge about nature enabled solutions to political and economic problems. Two centuries after their first discovery, the fossils belonging to Araripe Geopark are part of the main paleontological collections of universities and museums around the world. We evaluate how the ex situ paleontological heritage, resulting from the long history of studies in this geopark, may drive the economic development of the region through geotourism activities. The fossil heritage represented by the museum collections in exhibition or those in research collections, whether or not located in the Araripe Geopark region, should be considered as potential paths for disseminating information and encouraging geotourism. The possibility of learning the geological history of the area’s landscape, fossils, and human interactions, by means of the various museum collections, represents an enormous potential to stimulate visits to the Araripe Geopark, thereby assisting in the economic development of the region.

阿拉里佩地质公园的领土位于巴西东北部，涵盖了与地球和生命科学相关的广泛方面，以及与该地区地质相关的复杂相互作用所产生的社会文化领域的其他方面。这种多样性的一个关键因素是该地区存在的古生物遗产，这是创建这个地质公园的基础之一。阿拉里佩地质公园化石的多样性和精美保存的知识源于从 18 世纪开始的自然资源勘探的悠久历史。自从这些首次发现以来，阿拉里佩沉积盆地地区的生命记录非常特殊。到今天，João da Sylva Feijó 勘探的第一个自然资源超越了化石只是地球上过去生命的遗迹的看法。这些古生物学记录的优良品质使人们能够对有机物质保存过程有新的认识。这些知识建立在 200 多年的研究中，并导致对阿拉里佩地质公园化石的相关性有了新的认识。因此，这个地质公园的古生物学史与十八世纪以来的科学知识史交织在一起。对自然资源的观察和探索导致在该地区首次发现化石，以及对这些地球上过去生命记录的重要性的科学理解。此外，关于自然的科学知识的增加使政治和经济问题的解决成为可能。在首次发现两个世纪后，属于阿拉里佩地质公园的化石已成为世界各地大学和博物馆的主要古生物学收藏品的一部分。我们评估了该地质公园长期研究产生的异地古生物遗产如何通过地质旅游活动推动该地区的经济发展。以展览馆藏或研究馆藏为代表的化石遗产，无论是否位于阿拉里佩地质公园地区，都应被视为传播信息和鼓励地质旅游的潜在途径。通过各种博物馆藏品了解该地区景观、化石和人类互动的地质历史的可能性，