Censimento e valutazione dei siti paleontologici (Paleositi):un esempio per la Provincia di Pisa

Census, evaluation and valorization of the paleontological sites: an example for the Province of Pisa. This study is included among the initiatives carried out in these last years in Europe, and partly also in Italy, to the safeguard and the valorization of the geologic patrimony. An informatized database, a digital map and a criterion for the evaluation of the paleosites located in the Province of Pisa have been realized using an innovative methodological approach, at least as regards the paleontological field. The main fields considered in the construction of the database are: the location of the fossil deposit; the typology (extension, use of the ground, etc.); the state of preservation; the interest degree and the date of discovery. Moreover, fields relative to the bibliographical data, the fossils collected, the geologic information and the complete list of all the species reported, with details on the frequency, the state of preservation and depositional environment have been included in each record. The database has been constructed in such way to make as simple as possible its update, eventually also by people not skilled in paleontology, and the search and fruition of all the information contained. In addition to the database an HTML page has been constructed for each site providing its description and the photographic documentation. All the paleosites considered have been included in the informatized geologic map (GIS) of the Pisa Province to allow their localization on different topographic or thematic maps the territory. The paleosites considered have been evaluated on the basis of their scientific, didactic, historical and turistic-naturalistic interest using a newly proposed series of parameters here described in detail. By the end of this research more than one hundred of paleosites, heterogenously spread in the Pisa territory had been described and mapped. More than 1,500 species of fossil invertebrates, vertebrates and plants had been listed. Some paleosites have a wide areal extension (e.g.: Orciano Pisano), whereas others consist in outcrops located in well delimitated areas as, for example, quarry walls or relief portions subject to natural erosion (e.g.: Agnano). Sites represented by punctual findings of particular importance (generally vertebrates) have been also described. This work has evidenced how the paleosites may present different potentialities and interests of various natures. Two paleosites, Agnano and Orciano Pisano, emerge for their high scientific interest: the former is famous for the dinosaurs Triassic footprints and the latter for its Pliocene fauna of both marine vertebrates and invertebrates. Nine localities are of great historical importance, beeing already known in the 19th century and cited in many ancient publications. The site of San Giuliano mountains is characterized by its high turistic-naturalistic value, beeing situated in a protected area of great naturalistic and landscape beauty with elements of both environmental and artistic interest. The paleosites of greatest didactic potentiality are located in the area of Saint Miniato and generally on the Pisa hills, where Plio- Pleistocene loose sediments very rich in fossil molluscs frequently outcrop. Agnano and the San Giuliano mountains resulted as the sites with the highest total interest