Geoconservation Research (Geoconserv. Res.) The Late Permian Kupferschiefer Fossils and the Geological Educational Trail in the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita (NW Germany) 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 The Late Permian Kupferschiefer Fossils and the Geological Educational Trail in the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita (NW Germany) 10.30486/gcr.2021.1927911.1091 EN Tobias Fischer UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita, Osnabrück, Germany 0000-0002-2048-2903 Lothar Schöllmann LWL Museum of Natural History, Paleontological Monument Conservation, Münster, Germany 0000-0001-9150-4156 Johannes Haunert Museumsverein Hüggel e.V., Hasbergen, Germany 0000-0002-2869-8282 Journal Article 2024 01 01 The iconic Kupferschiefer is a stratigraphic marker horizon of the Upper Permian in Northern and Central Europe, which is recognized internationally as a unique stratum because of its outstanding preservation of fish, reptile, and plant fossils. In the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita, Kupferschiefer fossils have been found at three tectonically uplifted elevations: Hüggel, Schafberg, and Piesberg. Here we review not only the Kupferschiefer fossil record of the Geopark, but also the paleontological excavations and environmental education programs that have been undertaken by the LWL Museum of Natural History in Münster, the local associations Museumsverein Hüggel e.V. and Kultur- und Verkehrsverein Hasbergen e.V. in Hasbergen, and the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita over the past 40 years. Particular emphasis is placed on the Hüggel hill, where the TERRA.track Geological Educational Trail has been set up to explain to visitors the high geodiversity and centuries-long mining history of the area. Furthermore, we provide comments on the future of the Geocenter in Hasbergen, where the Kupferschiefer fossils from Hüggel have been exhibited until 2018.