In situ conservation strategies: a case study of archeopaleontological remains from the Early Pleistocene site of El-Kherba (Ain Hanech), Algeria

Abstract

Dated to circa 1.8 million years ago, the site of El-Kherba (Ain Hanech, Algeria) yielded a Plio-Pleistocene fauna associated with Oldowan stone tools that are pertinent for documenting the earliest human occupation in North Africa. Some of the remains of large and medium-sized vertebrate fauna present a poor state of preservation due to three critical factors: 1) the severe contrast between climatic conditions of air and soil ecosystems; 2) the preand post-depositional alterations; 3) the nature and properties of the sub-fossil remains. The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH, Burgos, Spain) and the Institut d'Archéologie de l'Université d'Alger 2 (CNRPAH, Algiers, Algeria) have collaborated on a Project funded by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) aiming to provide immediate solutions for preserving fragile sub-fossil bones and to develop conservation strategies in order to ensure the long term preservation of this valuable archeo-paleontological heritage.