Fulgoroidea planthopper in Burmese Amber

Fulgoroidea planthopper in Burmese Amber

A 'planthopper' in Burmese Amber, a member of the family Fulgoroidea.

Nice specimen in a very clear piece of amber; unfortunately, the amber does have several fractures and will probably be damaged if it is ever dropped.

Some inclusions in the amber do also cover the insect, making it difficult to get a clear photo or view.

Burmese Amber is around 100 million years old.

Unfortunately, there are ethical concerns due to Burma's ongoing civil war, and concerns over the safety of miners.

There is a large debate between scientists as to whether Burmese Amber should be purchased and/or studied due to the potential humanitarian concerns; I have studied the issues for a long time before considering purchasing personally.

Several organisations have issued a blanket ban on studying Burmese Amber; however, this would include bans on all legitimate mines and cause harm to many miners and people working within the industry. It also creates a culture in which a scientific resource ends up smuggled into China and sold online, carved, and lost to science forever.

Ultimately, whether or not you decide to purchase any specimens of Burmese amber will be a personal decision as the ethical concerns are extremely complex. This is true of all rocks and minerals, not purely pieces from Afghanistan, Burma, China, Russia, or any other country with a less than ideal human rights record - and yes, that includes the UK.

Further reading on potential human rights issues regarding Burmese Amber:

• http://www.iaujournals.ir/article_674115.html
• https://jhumanitarianaction.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41018-021-00101-y
• https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/myanmarffm/pages/index.aspx
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12542-020-00524-9