André Biernath

Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History will permanently return 62 Brazilian fossils to Brazil to help rebuild the collection of the National Museum, which lost roughly 85% of its holdings in the 2018 fire. The fossils, collected in Paraná and Ceará and including fish, insects, algae, trilobites and trace fossils, were selected after Oxford retained specimens currently used in research or formally designated as scientific types. National Museum director Ronaldo Fernandes describes the extensive losses and the international donations and diplomatic efforts supporting reconstruction. Parts of the museum have reopened, restoration of the surviving objects is expected to take decades, and full operations are projected by the end of 2029.