Geoconservation Research (Geoconserv. Res.) Paleobiodiversity in the Darriwilian (Middle Ordovician) of the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark (Portugal) Volume 4 (2021) Issue 1, June 2021 - Paleontological Heritage and Geoconservation in the UNESCO European Geoparks (I), edited by Dan Grigorescu, Michael Benton, Vachik Hairapetian 2024 01 01 Paleobiodiversity in the Darriwilian (Middle Ordovician) of the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark (Portugal) 10.30486/gcr.2020.1913411.1054 EN Sofia Pereira Centro de Geociências, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal 0000-0003-1117-6629 Jorge Colmenar Centro de Geociências, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal Cristiana De Jesus Paulo Esteves Department of Geology, Ghent University. Krijgslaan 281, S8. 9000 Ghent, Belgium Ícaro Dias Da Silva Instituto Dom Luiz, Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Miguel Pires Centro de Geociências, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal Carlos Neto De Carvalho Instituto Dom Luiz, Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Geopark Naturtejo Meseta Meridional. Centro Cultural Raiano. Avenida Joaquim Morão, 6060-101, Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal 0000-0002-3365-6626 Journal Article 2024 01 01 Middle Ordovician successions occur at Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark in five Variscan-folded, kilometer- to tens of kilometer-long structures. Four of them revealed to be fossiliferous in the different recognized lithostratigraphic units, middle-to-uppermost Darriwilian in age, with particular emphasis for Brejo Fundeiro (Oretanian regional chronostratigraphic stage) and Fonte da Horta (Dobrotivian regional stage) formations. Recent paleontological and biostratigraphic works have detected most of the previously recorded and new fossil sites, improving the Middle Ordovician biostratigraphy of this region and updating the knowledge of its fossil assemblages, which are fairly more diverse than previously considered. The good preservation of the fossils and their relevance to understanding the climax of the Global Ordovician Diversification Event at high paleolatitude shallow marine environments, as well as the protection or identification of some of the fossil sites as UNESCO Geopark’ geosites, make certain their interpretation and use in already existing geotrails and new interpretation centers and school programs.