Major UK Jurassic Fossil Collection Sold to Abu Dhabi Museum in ‘Loss to the Nation’

LONDON: One of the United Kingdom’s most significant collections of Jurassic fossils has been sold to the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, prompting concerns among British experts that an important part of the country’s natural heritage has been lost overseas.

The collection, assembled by Dorset-based fossil collector Chris Moore, comprises 318 specimens, including ichthyosaurs, fish and crustaceans, with some specimens potentially representing species previously unknown to science.

The fossils were collected from the Lower Lias rock formations around Lyme Regis and Charmouth on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for fossils dating back approximately 200 million to 145 million years.

The collection was initially offered to the Natural History Museum in London and Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales). However, neither institution was able to purchase it, with funding constraints cited as a major factor. The collection was reportedly offered for an eight-figure sum.

Richard Butler, a professor of palaeobiology at the University of Birmingham, described the collection as being of national significance and said it would have been valuable to have the specimens displayed and made available to the public in a UK museum.

Experts have raised broader questions about whether the UK should strengthen mechanisms to protect scientifically important fossils from being sold overseas. Under current arrangements, fossils found in the UK are not automatically considered state property, and there are no specific export requirements governing their sale abroad.

The West Dorset fossil collecting code encourages collectors intending to sell scientifically important category-one specimens to first offer them to UK-registered museums for six months. However, the code is not legally binding.

The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi confirmed that it acquired the Moore collection, much of which has already been placed on public display in its Mesozoic Gallery. The museum said fossils from multiple countries are essential for telling the global story of the evolution of life on Earth.

Dr Erin Maxwell, an expert in Early Jurassic marine vertebrates at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, described the sale as a loss to the UK because the fossils form part of the natural and cultural heritage of the region where they originated.

However, she noted that their acquisition by a museum rather than a private individual partly offsets the loss, as the specimens remain accessible for public education and scientific research.

Other palaeontology experts have similarly stressed that keeping the collection together and ensuring public and scientific access may be more important than the geographical location of the museum holding it.

The sale has renewed debate over the balance between private fossil collecting, scientific research, public heritage and international museum cooperation. Supporters of the existing system argue that private collectors play an important role in discovering and preparing fossils that might otherwise be lost to erosion, while others are calling for the UK government to have a stronger right of first refusal for nationally significant collections.

The case highlights the financial pressures facing British museums and the growing international market for scientifically important fossils, while raising questions over how the UK can preserve its natural heritage for future generations.