Cave
Conservationist
The
Newsletter of Cave Conservation and Management
Volume
14 | No. 4 |
Published
by the
IUCN
Conservation Guidelines for Caves
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GUIDELINES
FOR CAVE AND KARST PROTECTION 4
Section
Membership Information 23
This is a special issue of the Cave
Conservationist dedicated to the draft Guidelines for Cave and Karst
Protection that have recently been posted on the Internet for comments. It's
been brought to my attention that the deadline for these comments is December
31, but that the American caving community (except for a few persons who we
informed of this at the National Cave Management Symposium in October) hasn't
seen the guidelines at all. I was asked to get this to American cave
conservationists, so here it is. I would hope that many of you will have some
comments and that you will submit them. Since you probably won't see this until
very close to December 31, an attempt is being made to have the deadline extended.
Please submit your comments even if they are past the Dec. 31 deadline!
Because the comments need to go to
d-gillieson@adfa.oz.au.
If you need to send them by regular mail,
please send them to me at:
IUCN Guideline Comments
c/o Rob Stitt
Seattle
Please try and get them in by Dec. 31 if
you can. However, I will forward any comments that I receive up until the end
of January. There is a good chance that they will be considered, but the sooner
the better.
I'm going to turn the rest of this column
over to Phillipe Axell, who is the President of the European group ISHA
(International Spelean Heritage Association), and who requested that I bring
this to you. It will serve as an introduction to the rest of the issue.
Rob Stitt
IUCN
will publish Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection.
Your comments are urgently needed!
The Working Group on Cave and Karst
Protection of the IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas has
recently released a draft document called "Guidelines for Cave and Karst
Protection".
This document is released for comments by
all organizations or individuals concerned. The current deadline for comments
is
Only the English text should be referred
to.
It is the first time that the IUCN
produces a Subterranean Heritage oriented document and this is good news for
the conservation of the Subterranean Heritage. IUCN is not only an extremely
well established environmental authority, but their reports are seriously
considered by governments, local, regional and international authorities. This
report could create the basis for a global conservation policy for the
Subterranean Heritage all over the world.
At ISHA, we feel this is a major step in
the development of our objectives and welcome this excellent work made by the
working group during the past four years. The importance and the potential
impact of the final text of these guidelines implies
that it should be based on the broadest consensus amongst all parties concerned
by the Subterranean Heritage. This is why ISHA will be addressing a report to
the Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection summarizing comments and
suggestions not only from its members but also from all other concerned
organizations around the world.
We feel it is the job of ISHA to inform
other concerned parties about this draft document and ask them for
comments/suggestions. We welcome all your messages, fax or letters at the following
contact addresses:
e-mail: isha@ciger.be
Fax: + (32) 84 36 71 33
Snail mail:
ISHA Secretariat
8 chemin de la Vigne,
B-5580 BELVAUX
After a first reading of the draft
Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection the Bureau of ISHA's Executive Committee
has expressed the following provisional comments, to be implemented following
consultation with its members and associates:
* I - The "artificial"
subterranean heritage is not considered in the document (man-made galleries,
mines, underground quarries, etc. often representing subterranean habitats for
bats or other lifeforms or scientific interest for geologists, paleontologists,
archeologists, etc. as well as training ground for cavers). This artificial
subterranean heritage is often linked closely to underground waters (phreatic
layers, underground reservoirs or streams, etc.) used for drinking water supply
near highly populated areas.
Generally speaking, old mines are more
often used as garbage dumps than natural caves. They are also usually located
in more densely populated areas, therefore preventing any protected area system
to be instaured. A special attention should be given to the protection of this
particular type of cavities in the IUCN guidelines.
* II - Non-karstic natural cavities (lava
tubes, ice caves, etc.), although mentioned in the document's comments, are not
accounted for in the guidelines.
This patrimony also represents essential
natural values, both for scenic and scientific interest. Guidelines for the
conservation of non-karstic cavities should be added to the IUCN guidelines.
*
At ISHA, we have always advocated a
general concertation amongst all parties concerned and feel that a wrong
interpretation of this document could lead to the complete halt of cave
research and study in some territories.
The absence of representatives of
national, regional or local speleological organizations in the management of
karstic or subterranean sites would be most damaging to the effort made by the
speleological community to the discovery, the better understanding and the
conservation of our subterranean heritage.
We therefore think that a guideline suggesting
that a "management council" should be created at different levels,
regional, national or local, representative of all parties concerned, including
speleological organizations, show caves associations and concerned
environmental authorities and/or organizations, should be added to the IUCN
guidelines.
Your comments or additional suggestions
on the above are welcomed.
Philippe
AXELL
ISHA:
isha@ciger.be
HOME:
philippe.axell@ping.be
Commission
on National Parks and Protected Areas
(CNPPA)
Synthesised
and edited by
(list of lead writers)
IUCN - The
World Conservation
1996
Published by IUCN,
A contribution towards the printing of
this report has been provided by Unesco under
Subvention
I
U C N
The
World Conservation
Copyright: (1996) International
Reproduction of this publication for
educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior
permission from the copyright holder.
Reproduction for resale or other
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Citation: 1996. Guidelines
for Cave and Karst Protection, IUCN,
ISBN:
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Cover photo:
Produced by: IUCN Publications Services
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Available from: IUCN Publications
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The designations of geographical entities
in this report, and the presentation of the material, do no imply the
expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal
status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning
the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The views of the contributions expressed
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CONTENTS
Preface
I Introduction: Karst environments and
cave systems
II The importance of caves and karst
IV Options in protection of karst
V Karst management at the regional and
site level
VI International co-operation and liaison
VIII References and further reading
Appendices:
1. IUCN Categories and management
objectives of protected areas
2. Membership of CNPPA Working Group on
Cave and Karst Protection and other useful contacts
3. Glossary of terms
4. Summary of document in Spanish
5. Summary of document in French
PREFACE
Karst landforms and associated features
such as caves are distributed widely throughout the world.
They have many values and many are
located in various protected areas including several sites designated on the
World Heritage register.
Some reasons for their protection
include:
Karst and caves are indeed special
places. They do however require special management considerations often
extending well beyond the formal boundaries of protected areas in which the
more obvious features fall.
Appropriate management expertise does not
usually lie solely within the formal protected areas
agencies - in fact there is no other landform type where such a high proportion
of the specialised expertise lies outside such agencies, within the
ranks of speleologists and cave explorers.
These guidelines have been prepared as a
brief "aide-memoir for planners, managers and users of the karst estate.
They are general guidelines or recommendations and the examples used reflect
the first hand knowledge of those who have volunteered their time to contribute
to their preparation. More specific guidelines and management plans for karst
and caves will need to be prepared at a national, regional or site level. Such
guidelines should involve local community input and ideally local endorsement.
These guidelines were prepared as an
initial draft by a small group of speleologists and karst managers in
The Working Group is an informal grouping
of scientists, managers, cavers and speleologists who see the need to improve
the sharing of information and expertise between protected area managers,
speleologists and other karst specialists. The group was formed at the Third
World Congress on National Parks held in
We believe that these guidelines will
make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the special management
considerations essential for protection of caves and karst. They are a
"first step" and the challenge now is for the national and site
specific strategies to be developed in karst areas around the world.
I.
INTRODUCTION - KARST ENVIRONMENTS
Karst landscapes
represent an important facet of the Earth�geodiversity, and one of major
management significance. The term karst denotes a distinctive style of terrain
that is characterised by individual landform types and landform assemblages
that in large measure are the product of rock material having been dissolved by
natural waters to a greater degree than is the norm in most landscapes.
All rock materials are
soluble to a degree, but the most fully developed karst is naturally to be
found in the most soluble rocks. Hence, karst is generally most fully evolved
in carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite and evaporite rocks such as
gypsum. Such rocks are present over perhaps 30% of the earth�surface but
they vary in their susceptibility to karstification.
Given sufficient time
and environmental stability, true karst phenomena also develop in what are
generally considered to be relatively insoluble rocks, such as quartzites and
quartz-sandstones, while karren like sculpturing
occurs in granite and related rocks.
In some environments
solution processes are overwhelmed by other geomorphic processes such as
glacial erosion, in others solution is more dominant. Karst areas are best
known for the underground drainage systems or solutional cave systems that
often evolve there, but may also be characterised by intricately sculptured
rock surfaces, or karren, closed depressions or
sinkholes, residual hills, sinking streams and springs.
Such landscapes can
offer an extraordinary variety of economic, scientific, educational,
recreational and aesthetic resources. But they are also potentially highly
sensitive, comparable in this respect to desert or coastal margins,
and careful protective management is essential.
Two
essential characteristics of karst must be taken into account in developing
protective policies: its integrity is intimately dependent upon maintenance of
the natural hydrological system; and karst is vulnerable to a distinctive set
of environmental sensitivities.
Millions of people live
in karst areas, some of which are among the most spectacular landscapes on
earth but several have become highly degraded or permanently damaged. The
availability of water is often a major determinant of settlement patterns and
water management has often been a major factor in the long term survival of
societies that dwell on karsts.
Many
karst areas have been densely populated and heavily impacted for hundreds of
years. Given the vulnerability of karst environments, extreme land and
groundwater degradation has commonly occurred.
Careful management of
the flow and condition of fluids (water and air) through cave systems is
commonly critical to the successful management of caves. Safeguarding natural
hydrogeochemical regimes is therefore fundamental to karst management. In turn,
that implies careful management of the vegetation and soils of entire water
catchment areas. Directions of underground drainage in karst areas are
typically dictated by geological structures and surface topography can give a
quite misleading picture - indeed in well developed karst there may be no
consistent grain to the landscape. Dry valleys are common on the surface,
underground waters often breach surface drainage divides underground, sometimes
flowing from one valley to another and often flowing uphill under pressure in
confined solution channels.
Flow times are often
rapid, with opportunities for natural cleansing of polluted or sediment-laden
groundwaters largely lacking and pathogenic organisms can often survive the
travel time. To such fundamental management concerns must be added engineering
difficulties. These commonly include difficult foundation conditions for
buildings and other structures, ground surface collapse and leaky artificial
reservoirs.
Given the heavy
population pressures in some karsts, there are now relatively few places where
the opportunity exists to safeguard truly pristine karst; over much of the
earth the focus must now be on ameliorating the negative results of past and
present management, and on restoration ecology.
Underground caves, often
decorated by secondary carbonate speleothems such as stalactites and
stalagmites, are for many the best known attributes of karst. However, not all
caves are formed in carbonate or evaporite terrains. The most extensive
subsurface drainage conduit networks and cave systems may well be formed in
glacier ice; related caves and surface landforms similar to karst occur in
snowpacks and in permafrost terrains. Caves and related features also occur in
response to erosion by the sea or lakes on some coastlines. They also occur due
to piping in some soils and in duricrust landscapes and due to flowage patterns
in some young lava fields. In some instances karstic phenomena such as cave
systems and karst-like rock towers can develop in quartzite and
quartz-sandstone rocks. However, while selected issues of concern in karst
management may also be relevant in some of these caves, the focus in these
guidelines is upon true karst.
Their
mysterious character and beauty has often caused attention to be focused
specifically on caves and so diverted from the wider karst environment.
Protection and management of the wider karst environment is important not only in its own right but also because it underpins the
adequate protection of a cave or any other single element in a karst landscape.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF CAVES
In
addition to the importance of retaining examples of karst landforms and
landform assemblages as part of a strategy to safeguard global geodiversity, a
number of economic human and scientific values may be present in karst areas.
Hence, there may be a diversity of demands that are in conflict with one
another.
Agriculture, forestry,
water management, limestone extraction and tourism are among the many important
forms of economic activity in karst areas.
Most of the world�population
is dependent upon agriculture, and agriculture is ultimately dependent upon the
upper few centimetres of the Earth�surface. Some karsts offer rich and
highly productive soils that are utilised for both general and specialised
agriculture. Millions of people live in karst areas, but karst soils are often
particularly vulnerable due to degradation by a variety of karst-specific
processes that add to the usual pressures on sustainable development of soil
resources. Caves are used for some specialised forms of agriculture and
industry, including fish breeding, mushroom growing and cheese production.
Some karsts are major
water catchments for domestic supplies. In some karsts settlement patterns have
been strongly influenced by sources of water. Ancient Mayan people made
extensive use of caves and cenotes; more recently, major engineering works have
been undertaken in the former
In some karsts major
forest resources exist, or have previously existed. However, drought stress can
be a significant constraint on silviculture, and forest removal can sometimes
cause irreversible soil loss and hydrological changes.
Limestone is an
important resource with application in many areas of agriculture and industry
generally, and it is also used to ameliorate some forms of industrial
pollution. Limestone extraction for building stone, agriculture or other
industrial purposes is a common source of conflict with other karst users and
values, and needs careful planning and execution. Important mineralisation has
occurred in some karsts, and limestone terrain can be important to the oil
industry.
Tourism is a major
economic activity in some karsts, including the use of both developed and
undeveloped caves, and surface scenery, thereby generating local employment.
Remote appreciation is also possible by means of films, videos and photographic
volumes, the production of which can be a significant component of some local
economics.
In some parts of the
world caves are used as sanitoria for respiratory and other ailments,
especially where
A wide variety of
scientific values exists in karst environments.
In terms of the earth
sciences, karsts offer bedrock geologists clear exposures of lithological
units, geological structures and minerals, and offer palaeontologists access to
important fossil sites. Geomorphologists derive insight into landform evolution
and climate change over broad areas from the morphology of particular caves and
the study of climate change, a subject of both intrinsic and applied
significance.
To the life scientist
karst is important for its hosting of special plant and animal species and
communities. Some karsts have served as refuges for species that have persisted
underground through environmental changes which have eliminated their surface
dwelling relatives. Bats are probably the creatures most commonly associated
with caves, but a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate animals inhabit karst,
some of which may have only small population numbers or be highly adapted to
the constancy of the underground environment. In many, but not all karsts,
environmental conditions underground can be very constant and cave species may
have little tolerance to subsurface environmental change. Subfossil
palaeontology is often also an important value.
Karsts serve an
important habitat function, and, given the specialised nature of karst
environments, they are often a focus of endangered species. In addition to
plant and animal species, they are also the site of rare and sometimes
endangered mineral species and landform types.
Some karsts are
important for spiritual, religious, aesthetic, recreational and educational
reasons.
In many parts of the
world animist and/or traditional societies attach considerable importance to
certain caves and other limestone landforms as in the case of Mayan use of
caves as temples. Many Hindu and Buddhist societies have established
underground temples in caves. Some Buddhist communities build temples that
mimic caves, as with the great
Many of the world�most
scenic environments owe much of their appeal to karstic phenomena, including
many mountain areas that draw walkers, climbers, photographers, artists and
nature lovers. Caving is a significant recreational activity in some parts of
the world, while every year countless millions of people visit developed
tourist caves.
The various economic,
spiritual and scientific values of karst are often readily demonstrated in a
compact area, and commonly make caves and karst areas splendid exemplars for
education. In few environments are the ecological chains of cause and affect,
and environmental determinants on human society, so clearly evident.
Cultural resource
management is often an important consideration in karst areas. Some springs and
caves have long served as foci for human activity. Some caves have become a
palimpsest in which is recorded, layer by layer, in sediment or in art upon the
cave walls, the evolution of societies. The prehistoric legacy found in some
caves is well known and has contributed in a major way to knowledge of our
ancestors. The historical archaeology of some karsts is also important,
including such features as water reticulation systems established in some
Chinese karsts.
Considerable heritage
value is attached to the built environment in some karst areas, ranging from
some prehistoric constructions in caves to some cave resorts in
Guideline
1. Effective planning
for karst regions demands a balanced consideration of economic, scientific and
human values, within the local cultural and political context and in a way
which is congruent with that context.
It
is fundamentally important to recognise that the proper protection of caves and
karst is not just a matter of preserving interesting, beautiful or
scientifically interesting natural features. In most cases, it has far-reaching
environmental implications which in turn generate significant economic impacts.
Proper management of karst is an essential element of water resources
management.
Caves and karsts are
especially vulnerable and probably more so than most other land resources. In
the first place, the integrity of any karst system is dependent upon a specific
kind of relationship between water and land; this water is often drawn from a wide
catchment area; any perturbation in the hydrologic system will threaten the
karst and those caves which have a continuing relationship to the water levels.
At the same time, any damage to the integrity of a karst system will have
far-reaching hydrologic impacts. It also needs to be recognised that
groundwater divides and catchment boundaries may not coincide with surface
divides.
Secondly, many other
caves, left abandoned by the original formative waters as groundwater levels
have been lowered, will be relatively dry, relatively static in character and
essentially non-renewable. Most of the non-limestone caves, e.g., volcanic
caves, also fall into this latter grouping. However, dripwater flows and
catchment hydrology remain significant to both the geochemical processes within
caves and cave biota, and more particularly through the influence which
moisture exerts upon cave microclimates.
The implied distinction
here between those caves with a continuing relationship to the water-table and
those which have been abandoned by the water and stand clear from it also
points to a further distinction. Many caves, particularly those with active
streams or seasonal flooding, are subject to high levels of kinetic energy
which cause continuing change within the cave. These changes in turn often
quickly eliminate the evidence of other lesser changes, such as those caused by
entry of visitors. However, other caves may have extremely low energy
throughputs; in many cases, the major energy inputs may only be, for instance,
the excreta of cave crickets and circadian air movements. In such a low energy
system, the impact of human entry, no matter how carefully managed, may be
considerable.
We can also point to a
continuum of threats from the very direct threats of physical change, e.g., the
total destruction of a cave by quarrying to the indirect threats, where, for
instance, the use of a cave for recreation results in gradual but unrelenting
compaction of floors and so to extinction of that cave fauna which is dependent
upon the environment provided by uncompacted floors. Although it is difficult
to set a clear boundary between these, we will endeavour below to deal with
each topic in a sequence which reflects its place in such a continuum.
Caves or even major karst
landscapes may be totally destroyed by mining, quarrying, being bulldozed aside
to make way for engineering works or other developments, being submerged below
artificial water storage, or filled in order to eliminate the cavity of a cave.
These issues are amongst the most obvious of threats, occur with increasing
frequency, and often generate major conflicts over land use.
MAJOR
Forestry, quarrying,
land clearance, construction and other developmental activities may, without
causing any direct destruction, so impact upon the land as to cause major
disruption of karst systems. Changes in the nature of soil cover, siltation of
waterways (even from activities far outside of the actual karst landscape), diversion
of or changes in water flow and changes in vegetation cover can all have major
impacts. Excessive withdrawing of water from an aquifer may well result in
lowering of the water level, sometimes with disastrous consequences costing
many millions of dollars. Extractive industries such as speleothem harvesting,
guano mining or birdsnest harvesting also result in massive impacts,
particularly upon eco-systems within caves.
Pollution, whether by
water-soluble compounds, microbial transmission, siltation
or simply by dumping of large-scale wastes leads to a similar problem. Many
examples of problems due to groundwater pollution have been documented,
probably commencing with the 1854 cholera epidemic in
There are a remarkable
range of human uses of caves per se. These include military purposes
(for storage, shelter, guerrilla tactics, putative nuclear shelters, etc.),
religious observance or monument, sanitoria, burial, manufacturing, water
storage, dwelling sites, mushroom farming, cheese-making, wine-making,
smuggling, various aspects of scientific research, tourism in a range of forms,
concert auditoria, and recreation at a number of levels. Some of these uses are
of cultural significance, often enduring over many centuries. These traditional
uses raise the oft-cited paradox that yesterday�great art is
today�graffiti; both involve people drawing upon cave walls but their
location in time gives them totally different meanings. Similarly, a present
day proposal to establish a cheese factory in a European cave would probably
meet with significant opposition, but it is extremely doubtful whether anybody
would seriously propose discontinuing cheese manufacture at the
These uses result in a
wide range of impacts:
We note that these
impacts may be independent of each other, cumulative or synergistic and further
that there are a series of complex relationships between the number of visitors
to a cave at any one time, the frequency of visits and the resulting impact.
Caves
and karst are amongst the most vulnerable of landforms, and are often subject
to degradation as a result of phenomena or events which occur at a considerable
distance. Their effective protection and management therefore requires
consideration and action at both regional and local levels.
Guidelines
2. The integrity of any
karst system depends upon an interactive relationship between land and water.
Any interference with this relationship is likely to have undesirable impacts,
and should be subjected to thorough environmental assessment.
3. Land managers should
identify the total catchment area of any karst lands, and be sensitive to the
potential impact of any activities within the catchment, even if not on the
karst itself.
4. Destructive actions
in karst, such as quarrying or dam construction, should be located so as to
minimise conflict with other resource values.
5. Pollution of
groundwater poses special problems in karst and should always be minimised.
6. All other human uses
of karst areas should be planned to minimise undesirable impacts, and monitored
in order to inform future decision-making.
7. While recognising the
non-renewable nature of many karst features, particularly within caves, good
management demands that damaged features be restored in so far as is
practicable.
IV. OPTIONS IN
PROTECTION OF KARST
Protection
of karst features has all too often focused upon caves, and not given adequate
consideration to the need for protection and proper management of the total
karst area as a land unit.
The nature of karst and
caves is such that either may occur in, and be appropriately protected by, any
one of the available categories of protected area. So, in any one country, the
category of protected area utilised for cave protection should be chosen to
meet the protection needs of the site concerned.
Where a karst area as a
whole, or any part of such an area, is under consideration, the protection
strategy chosen should provide for protection of the total catchment wherever
possible. Where this is not realistically achievable, there should at least be
an extensive buffer surrounding the key features to be protected. Where a
significant part of the catchment lies outside of the protected area
boundaries, then consideration should also be given to the use of environmental
controls or to total catchment management agreements under planning or water
management legislation to safeguard the quantity and quality of water inputs to
the karst system.
At the other extreme,
some karst phenomena such as an occurrence of a specific form of karren that should be safeguarded, catchment issues may be
less prominent. In the rare case of a single and perhaps isolated cave,
standing clear of the water-table, it may be that adequate protection might be
achieved by a geological monument or historic site reservation. However, in
virtually all cases attention must be given to the safeguarding of groundwater catchments
and local seepage.
High priority in
protection should be given to areas or sites:
A special issue arises
in relation to the protection of cave values. In a situation where there is
long-established use of the surface land, but a major cave system lies below,
it may not be necessary to change existing land-use if the cave can be
protected in some other way. Theoretically, legislative provision might be made
for the reservation of protected areas comprising only all that land which is,
for example, more than 5 metres below the surface together with a small surface
reservation to provide for access control to the subterranean protected area.
However, even if such an approach were adopted, attention must still be paid to
the issues of water and air flows related to the cave system. More importantly,
the long-term impacts of existing land-uses should be carefully assessed prior
to any such decision and the legislative provision for this kind of protection
should be fully integrated with other land protection legislation.
The possibility has
often been raised of establishing an "underground wilderness�rea.
These proposals essentially argue for declaration of an area which will only be
entered (perhaps by a limited number) under minimum impact conditions,
comparable with the restrictions placed upon existing wilderness areas on the
surface. The concept may work effectively in a high energy cave system, but is
problematic in any low energy system. It is essentially a zoning concept or
management tool based upon and responding to the recreational and/or research
demands at a particular point in time rather than upon long-term protection of
environmental resources. Although such protection has
properly been instituted over a number of important caves in order to reduce
the impact of entry, the term "wilderness raises unrealistic expectations.
While surface wilderness in some environments may have high re-generative
capacities, the regenerative capacity of a low energy cave system is, within a
human time scale, zero. Even minimal and sensitive entry will result in
impacts, and these will generally be both irreversible and cumulative.
Special consideration
needs to be given to the protection of karst areas which, for one reason or
another, may legitimately not be included within protected areas. However, any
actions or phenomena within these areas may well have impacts elsewhere. Such
areas should be identified by land managers, and where necessary, planning
controls or programs of public education might be introduced to ensure appropriate
management. Consideration should also be given to heritage agreements or
covenants instituted by landowners and these should be appropriately recognised
and rewarded by state land management policies.
As in many aspects of
protected area management, the establishment of protected areas is not enough
in itself. The management of karst demands specific interdisciplinary expertise
and this is in the early stages of development in most countries. Management
agencies should recognise the importance of this expertise and take advantage
of inter-agency or international co-operation in order to enhance their own
capacity.
Guidelines
8. Governments should
ensure that an appropriate selection of karst sites is declared as protected
areas under appropriate legislation.
9. High priority in
protection should be given to areas or sites having high natural, social or
cultural value; possessing a wide range of values within the one site; which
have suffered minimal environmental degradation; and/or of a type not already
represented in the protected areas system of their country.
10. Where possible,
total catchment areas should be included within the protected areas boundary.
11. Where such coverage
is not possible, consideration should be given to the use of environmental
controls or total catchment management agreements under planning or water
management legislation to safeguard the quantity and quality of water inputs to
the karst system.
13. Management agencies
should seek to develop their expertise and capacity for karst management and
recognise the value of inter-agency or international co-operation.
V.
MANAGEMENT AT THE REGIONAL
Karst landforms,
including caves, are the direct result of the operation of the limestone
solution process over long periods of geologic time. Nearly all of the karst
solution process is moderated by factors operating on the surface of the karst
and in the subcutaneous zone. Surface vegetation regulates the flow of water
into the underlying karst through interception, the control of litter and roots
on soil infiltration, and the biogenic production of carbon dioxide in the root
zone. The metabolic uptake of water by plants, especially trees, may regulate
the quantity of water available to feed cave formations. Trees in particular are
like large carbon dioxide pumps, releasing 20-25% of the atmospheric gas uptake
through root respiration. Thus clearfelling of forests, or major changes
consequent on plantation establishment, may radically change the flow and
quality of water in the karst. Soil erosion in excess of the natural rates may
infill streamsinks, dolines or joints. Changes to surface drainage resulting
from contour banking, irrigation or river regulation may interrupt or
drastically reduce the supply of karst water. The release of fertilisers,
herbicides and insecticides from agricultural activities may compromise cave
ecosystems beyond their capacity to recover. Water is the primary mechanism for
the transferral of surface actions to become subsurface impacts.
Karst
management must be holistic in its approach and should aim to maintain the
quality and quantity of water and air movement through the subterranean
environment as well as the surface.
Guidelines
14. Managers of karst
areas should recognise that these landscapes are complex three-dimensional
integrated natural systems comprised of rock, water, soil, vegetation and
atmosphere elements. Equally management of specific cave sites should recognise
this complexity.
15. Management in karst
should aim to maintain natural flows and cycles of air and water through the
landscape in balance with prevailing climatic and biotic regimes. Management in
caves should equally aim at the maintenance of natural flows.
16. Managers should
recognise that in karst, surface actions may be rapidly translated into impacts
underground and elsewhere.
In
general, karst systems develop over geological timescales which must inevitably
include significantly different environments from that of today. Some karst
systems will thus be so out of phase with prevailing conditions that they have
no capacity to regenerate. Other systems may have some capacity to regenerate
but this may entail timescales greater than that of individual human
generations. Caves and their contents (speleothems, sediments and bones) may
have been formed or empleaded under different climate regimes and may remain
unaltered for millennia. These may require specific management attention
because of their fragility.
Guidelines
17. Pre-eminent amongst
karst processes is the cascade of carbon dioxide from low levels in the
external atmosphere through greatly enhanced levels in the soil atmosphere to
reduced levels in cave passages. Elevated soil carbon dioxide levels depend on
plant root respiration, microbial activity and a healthy soil invertebrate
fauna. This cascade must be maintained for the effective operation of karst
solution processes.
18. The mechanism by
which this is achieved is the interchange of air and water between surface and
underground environments. Hence the management of both quality and quantity of
both air and water is the keystone of effective management at regional, local
and site specific scales. Development on the surface must take into account the
infiltration pathways of water.
Pollutants readily enter
karst drainage systems and are rapidly transmitted in cave conduits. The range
of likely pollutants and their relative importance are given in Table 1. There
is a great potential for hydrologic change within developed karst tourism sites
due to the construction of pathways, entrance structures, car parks and
toilets. Above a cave, the surfacing of the land with concrete or bitumen
renders it nearly impermeable, in contrast to the high natural porosity of karst.
Thus the feedwater for stalactites may be drastically reduced or eliminated.
Drains may alter flow patterns and may deliver additional percolation water to
certain areas of a cave, causing changes in speleothem deposition. One way to
minimise these effects is to use gravel surfaced carparks or to include
infiltration strips and cross drains in the carpark design. Similarly, pathways
may need to be hardened for foot traffic, but this should be permeable (gravel,
raised walkways, pavers) rather than concrete or bitumen. Toilet facilities may
leak into karst fissures or conduits. There are many tourist sites where sewage
reticulation or septic tank systems have leaked or overflowed into caves. There
is a growing trend to use either pump-out toilet systems, where wastes are
dispersed as sprays or sludges away from the karst, or composting toilets where
residues are dehydrated and may be subsequently used as fertiliser.
Guideline
19. Management should
aim to maintain the natural transfer rates of fluids, including gases, through
the integrated network of cracks, fissures and caves in the karst. The nature
of materials introduced must be carefully considered to avoid adverse impacts
on air and water quality.
There are numerous
examples of accelerated soil erosion on karst areas world-wide. Limestone soils
tend to be shallow and stony with low to moderate nutrient holding capacity
because of excessive leaching due to free drainage. There is thus a strong
tendency for de-vegetated or heavily used limestone soils to erode down to
bedrock surfaces quite rapidly. This soil stripping can be seen in the classic
karst of the Burren,
Guidelines
20. Soil management must
aim to minimise erosive loss and alteration of soil properties such as
aeration, aggregate stability, organic matter content and a healthy soil biota.
21. Pivotal to the
prevention of erosion and maintenance of critical soil properties is the
presence of a stable vegetation cover.
The rugged nature and
physical isolation of most karst landscapes ensures that they act as refuges
for rare or endangered species, such as leaf-eating monkeys in
Guidelines
22. Because of the
importance of karst areas as biological refuges, further fragmentation by road
construction and similar activities should be avoided. If this is unavoidable,
then corridors for animal dispersal should be maintained as a high priority.
Within caves both terrestrial and aquatic fauna are best protected by the
preservation of air and water quality. Accelerated stream siltation and
compaction of sediments by visitors may be detrimental to cave fauna. The infrastructure
of tourist caves (paths, steps, lights) should be designed to avoid
decomposition and the release of either toxic substances or additional energy
sources into the cave environment.
23. Climate change has
occurred over geological timescales within which karst systems have evolved.
Human intervention has the potential to alter climate in ways that may
radically affect natural karst processes. Management prescriptions must be
flexible, must recognise this possibility and must maximise the resilience of
the system. The effects of high magnitude - low frequency events such as
floods, fires and earthquakes must be recognised in management strategies at
regional, local and site-specific scales.
Karst waters can be
viewed as a type of wild rivers where the drainage network is not as obvious as
in surface streams, and there is complexity in hydrological linkages and in
flow regimes. In many mountain areas the highest parts of karst catchments are
still forested and inaccessible. In such areas both water quantity and quality
are maintained along with the integrity of ecosystems.
It
is estimated that one quarter of the world�population gain their water
supplies from karst, either from discrete springs of from karst groundwater.
The maintenance of water quality in karst can be viewed as a common good which
is becoming increasingly important in those areas where rural populations are
increasing rapidly and the settlement of karst is well established.
In other areas, such as
Guideline
24. Establishment and
maintenance of karst protected areas can contribute to the protection of both the
quality and quantity of groundwater resources for human use. Catchment
protection is necessary both on the karst and on contributing non-karst areas.
Activities within caves may have detrimental effects on regional groundwater
quality.
The karst catchment
boundary is not a single line that can be represented on a map, but a zone
which has a dynamic outer boundary dependent on local details of surficial
geology and weather conditions. It is more useful to think of a core catchment
area, within which flow will usually be directed to a particular cave network,
and a peripheral or buffer catchment area which may be activated periodically.
If the precautionary principle applies in karst research or management, then
the larger catchment may provide a truer representation of the sources for the
karst drainage network. The catchment of a karst drainage system is usually
much larger than just the area of limestone outcrop and the obvious non-karstic
contributing catchment.
Defining the
contributing catchment of a cave may be difficult if not impossible in some
cases. A minimalist approach would be to define the catchment as the area of
limestone outcrop. This neglects the possibility that the limestone is
continuous though not outcropping in a given terrain, or that surrounding
non-karstic rocks are contributing significant quantities of water by surface
or subsurface flow. In many cases a thick mantle of colluvium lies over the
limestone and directly feeds cave systems. This is especially true in areas
which were formerly glaciated or which have been subject to repeated mass
movements over geologic time. The elucidation of the drainage network of
"One well-designed
tracer test, properly done, and correctly interpreted, is worth 1000 expert
opinions or 100 computer simulations of groundwater flow"
(Quinlan,
1990).
Guideline
25. Catchment boundaries
commonly extend beyond the limits of the rock units in which the karst has
formed. Definition of the whole karst drainage network depends on planned water
tracing experiments and cave mapping. The boundary of this extended catchment
can fluctuate dramatically according to weather conditions. Fossil cave
passages can be reactivated following heavy rain.
For karst areas, the
concept of total catchment management becomes more vital than in many other
lithologies. This involves the co-ordinated management and utilisation of
physical resources of land, water and vegetation within the boundaries of a
catchment to ensure sustainable use and to minimise land degradation. Proper environmental
management on karst terrains rests on a base of public acceptance that clear
linkages exist between surface and underground systems, and that these linkages
are of fundamental importance to karst system function.
Guideline
26. More than in any other
landscape, a total catchment management regime must be adopted in karst areas.
Activities undertaken at specific sites may have wider ramifications in the
catchment due to the ease of transfer of materials in karst.
Limestone and marble are
quarried world-wide and used for cement manufacture, as high grade building
stone, for agricultural lime, and for abrasives. Most resource conflict over
limestone mining revolves around visual and water pollution, as well as loss of
recreational amenity and conservation values. Limestone bodies with high relief
are ideal for mining and are often the most cavernous, and there is often
conflict and compromise when there is a high community expectation of continued
access to this resource as well as a strong conservation movement.
Guideline
27. Recognising that the
extraction of rocks, soil, vegetation and water will clearly interrupt the
processes that produce and maintain karst, such uses must be carefully planned
and executed to minimise environmental impact. Extractive industries may be
incompatible with the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
Fire management on
limestone areas is a contentious subject, especially when severe wildfires have
caused loss of life or property. In traditional societies fire is widely used
as a vegetation clearance tool. Most karsts have a low natural fire frequency
due to the shielding effects of limestone outcrops, reduced ground cover and
often a more dense canopy with rainforest elements in
the flora. In the impounded karsts of eastern
Guideline
28. Imposed fire regimes
on karst should, as far as is practicable, mimic those occurring naturally if
the aim of management is sustainable land use.
Human visiting of caves
may have a significant cumulative impact upon physical and biological values at
both the site level and regional level (Spate and Hamilton-Smith, 1991). There
is therefore a need to prepare and implement management plans that provide
access to caves, ensure appropriate limits on visitor numbers where necessary,
and institute both minimal impact visitor practices and suitable tracks or
other means to protect the environment.
Guideline
29. Human visiting of
caves and karst may be irreversibly damaging particularly when cumulative over
time. Management planning should recognise this fact and seek to minimise
visitor impacts and maximise environmental protection.
TABLE
1 Sources of water pollution in karst (modified from White, 1988:389)
|
Source |
Oxygen demand |
Nitrogen,
Phosphates |
Chlorides |
Heavy
metals |
Hydrocarbons
organic complexes |
Bacteria,
viruses |
|
Domestic and
municipal waste |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Septic tanks |
... |
.. |
|
|
|
... |
|
Outhouses or
privies |
... |
.. |
|
|
|
... |
|
Sewage lines |
.. |
. |
|
|
|
.. |
|
Landfills |
... |
. |
. |
... |
.. |
.. |
|
Dumps in
sinkholes |
. |
.. |
. |
.. |
.. |
... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Agricultural
wastes |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Feedlots |
... |
... |
|
|
|
... |
|
Fertiliser
leaching |
|
... |
|
|
|
|
|
Insecticides
and herbicides |
|
|
|
|
... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Construction
and mining |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Salting of
roads |
|
|
... |
|
|
|
|
Mine tailings |
|
|
|
... |
|
|
|
Carpark runoff |
|
|
... |
. |
.. |
|
|
Oil fields |
|
|
... |
|
... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Industrial |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Petroleum
storage |
|
|
|
|
... |
|
|
Chemical dumps |
|
. |
|
... |
... |
|
|
Chemical
wastes |
|
|
. |
... |
... |
|
Note: Number of dots
indicates very approximate severity of pollution threat
(page
break)
VI. INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
There are a range of
levels at which international co-operation and liaison may be of considerable
assistance:
At the simplest,
exchange of information may well further the work of those concerned to ensure
protection of natural resources. This may take place through exchange of
publications, use of electronic media, meeting at conferences or seminars, study
visits, and doubtless many other means. This set of guidelines is in itself an
example, having been developed for this purpose by the IUCN Commission on
National Parks and Protected Areas.
The International Union
of Speleology, with its membership network of national speleological
organisations, can and does play a particularly important role in fostering
such exchange. In particular it provides a forum which brings together both
professional scientists and recreational cave explorers and surveyors. Its Speleological
Abstracts (Bulletin Bibliogaphique Sp鬩ologique) provides a
continually improving access to world literature. Further, its documentation
commission is developing comparable protocols for cave and karst databases,
making extensive use of electronic media in doing so.
Other scientific
organisations, such as the International Geographic Union, foster and integrate
scientific understanding of karst and caves. They also play a fundamentally
important role in information exchange. The International Show Caves
Association and the newly established International Speleological Heritage
Association may also prove valuable, particularly as resources for public
education.
The development of
expertise within management agencies and the establishment of national or
regional bodies, such as the American Cave Conservation Association or the
Australasian Cave & Karst Management Association, centrally concerned with
cave and karst management or conservation, is also
providing an important opportunity to integrate knowledge and understanding as
a basis for further dissemination of expertise through information exchange.
TECHNICAL ADVICE
Those with specialised
knowledge and experience in cave and karst protection may well undertake advisory,
consultancy or training roles in furthering the protection of cave and karst
areas. The various organisations already referred to above provide an avenue
for the identification of appropriate experts.
JOINT
ACTION
Two or more authorities
or even countries may well work under joint-actions agreements to share
responsibility in protection and management. One well-known example involves
the great Aggtelek karst of central
On a smaller but much
more widespread basis, responsibility for a karst catchment is often divided
between two or more different management tenures. The development of total
catchment management policies and programmes on a co-operative basis is vital
for adequate protection of the resource in these situations.
At another level, the
establishment of inter-agency partnerships (perhaps best practice partnerships
- a growing trend in park management) can further the capacity of all parties.
One of the areas in
which international information exchange is important is the development of
protected area policies. Although these are often generalised and do not deal
specifically with particular kinds of resource, e.g., karst, an increasing
number of management agencies do have documented karst management policies.
There may also be well-recognised policies and practices in place which have
not been made explicit in any formal document.
Although many cave and
karst areas have been included in protected areas (e.g., in
A number of cave and
karst sites have been recognised under the World Heritage Convention, but this
may have been for reasons other than their status as karst sites. A review of
existing recognised sites should be undertaken in order to (a) clarify the
application of the heritage criteria to karst sites, and (b) identify
high-value sites not yet included so that the respective governments might be encouraged
to nominate them.
International
Co-operation can play a vital role in strengthening the karst protection and
management capacity of land management agencies and in ensuring integrated
protection on a world basis.
Guidelines
30. International,
regional and national organisations concerned with aspects of karst protection
and management should recognise the importance of international co-operation
and do what they can to disseminate and share expertise.
31. The documentation of
cave and karst protection/management policies should be encouraged,
and such policies made widely available to other management authorities.
32. A data base should
be prepared listing cave and karst areas included within protected areas, but
also identifying major unprotected areas which deserve recognition. Karst
values of existing and potential World Heritage sites should be similarly
recorded.
Karst and caves are very
special places, each unique in its own way and yet highly dependent upon wider
influences over which protected area managers may have very limited control.
It must be stressed once
more that the guidelines presented above must always be applied in a local
context. This will include cognisance of local biodiversity and geodiversity,
plus sensitivity towards socio-economic and political factors.
Hopefully the guidelines
will provide managers and planners with useful aids towards improving community
knowledge of karst and caves, and hence having a better opportunity for local
acceptance of and involvement in improved protection and management. The
guidelines should also assist in preparation of more specific guidelines and
management plans at a national, regional or site level.
This volume is a first
attempt to bring together as many key issues as possible relating to karst and
cave protection in a relatively small booklet. Hopefully it will be widely
distributed and widely used. Constructive criticism is earnestly sought so that
upon revision we can improve upon karst and cave protection.
Meanwhile, the CNPPA
Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection will continue to provide advice to
the best of its ability, if only to direct requests for help to known sources
of special expertise. We welcome your ongoing interest and support.
VIII. REFERENCES
There is an absolutely
voluminous literature on caves, karst and cave exploration. We have listed
below a few "benchmark" references only. Access to extensive
bibliographies may be obtained through the organisations listed in Appendix 2.
Bogli, A., 1980. Karst hydrology and physical speleology,
Camacho, Ana Isabel,
1992. The Natural History of
Chapman, P., 1993. Caves and Cave Life,
Fenton, M. B., 1983.
Just Bats,
Ford,
D. C. and Williams, P. W., 1989. Karst Geomorphology and Hydrology
Maire, R., 1981.
Synthese hydrogeologique et karstologieque, Spelunca
Suppl. 3, 23-30
Quinlan, J., 1990.
Special problems of ground-water monitoring in karst terrains, In Nielsen, D.
M. and Johnson, A. I. (Eds), Ground Water and Vadose Zone Monitoring,
Spate,
A. and Hamilton-Smith, E., 1991. Cavers�mpacts - some theoretical and
applied considerations. In
Stebbings, R. E., 1988. Conservation of European Bats,
Trudgill,
S., 1985.
Limestone Geomorphology,
White, W. B., 1988.
Geomorphology and hydrology of carbonate terrains,
APPENDIX
1
Categories and management objectives of
protected areas
I. Strict
Nature Reserve / Wilderness Area: protected area managed
mainly for science or wilderness protection.
To protect nature and maintain natural
processes in an undisturbed state in order to have ecologically representative
examples of the natural environment available for appreciation, scientific
study, environmental monitoring, education, and for the maintenance of genetic
resources in a dynamic and evolutionary state.
To protect outstanding
natural and scenic areas of national or international significance for
scientific, educational, and recreational use. These are relatively large natural areas
not materially altered by human activity where extractive uses are not allowed.
To protect and preserve nationally
significant natural features because of their special interest or unique
characteristics. These are relatively small areas focused on protection of
specific features.
IV. Habitat/Species Management Area: protected
area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention.
To assure the natural conditions
necessary to protect nationally significant species, groups of species, biotic
communities, or physical features of the environment where these may require
specific human manipulation for their perpetuation.
V. Protected Landscapes and Seascapes: protected
areas managed mainly for landscape / seascape conservation and recreation.
To maintain nationally significant
natural landscapes which are characteristic of the harmonious interaction of
humans and land while providing opportunities for public enjoyment through
recreation and tourism within the normal life style and economic activity of
these areas. These are mixed cultural/natural
landscapes of high scenic value where traditional land uses are maintained.
VI. Managed Resource Protected Area: protected
area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
To protect the natural resources of the
area for future use and prevent or contain development activities that are not
sustainable.
Note: World Heritage sites (natural) and Biosphere Reserves are
not listed as categories in their own right but are international designations
recorded nationally under one of the above categories
of protected area.
APPENDIX
2
CNPPA
Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection
The CNPPA Working Group
on Cave and Karst Protection includes cave managers, speleologists,
administrators, researchers and protected area managers from throughout the
world who share a common concern for the future of caves and karst resources
and who support the following:
1. Caves, associated
underground systems, surface karst, are important components of the biosphere
with widespread global distribution.
2. Such areas are specially valuable for conservation, scientific research
(biological, geological and anthropological), religious and spiritual purposes,
recreation and tourism.
3. Such areas are
particularly vulnerable to damage and pollution and therefore require careful
protection and sensitive management, including surface catchment areas.
4. The considerable body
of expert knowledge on cave and karst management within national and
international speleological societies needs to be better known and applied by
protected area management agencies.
A primary aim of the
Working Group is to prepare and update as necessary guidelines on cave/karst
protection.
Involvement in the
Working Group is on a purely voluntary basis and the group has no formal
operating budget. The Working Group welcomes new contributors who can help with
its aims either directly of indirectly.
Enquiries and further
information may be obtained from
DR
JOHN WATSON
CNPPA
WORKING GROUP ON CAVE
Fax
No: 61 98 413329
Tel
No: 61 98 417133
Membership
as at January 1996
Susan
Anderson
Eugenio
de Bellard Pietri
Apartado
80.210
Prados
Del Este
Venuzuela
1080-A
Dr
Brian Finlayson
Dept
of Geography
Arthur
S Garcia
Dept
of Environmental and Natural Resources
Gen
Pampamga
Dr
David Gillieson
ADFA
ACT
2601
Elery
Hamilton-Smith
Paul
Hardwick
Limestone
Research Group
Queensgate
George
Huppert
Dept
of Geography & Earth Science
Dr
Julia James
Dept
of Inorganic Chemistry
NSW
2006
Kevin
Kiernan
Tasmanian
Forestry Commission
M
Olivier Langrand
WWF
BP
738
John
E Lattke
Instituto
de Zoologia Agricola
Universidad
Central de Venezuela
Apartado
4579
David
Meyers
Project
Montagne D큭bre
WWF
BP
294
Antsiranana
201
Prof
John S Marsh
Greg
Middleton
Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries & Natural Resources
Conservation
Unit
Reduit
Philip
Parker
Council
of Northern Caving Clubs
11
Corrugates
Ivan
Rubesa
Peter
Skoberne / Marco Simic
State
Institution for Conservation of Nature & Cultural Heritage
Plecnikov
TRG.2.P.P. 176
Slo
61000
John
Watson
Dept
of Conservation and Land Management
Nicholas
White
Vic
3052
Kevan
Wilde
Dept
of Conservation
Private
Bag 701
Hokitika
West
Coast
Wang
Xianpu
ADDITIONAL
MAILING LIST (January 1996)
Dr
Larry Hamilton
Islands
and
Consultancy
RR
David
Sheppard / Jim Thorsell
Protected
Areas Programme/Natural Heritage
IUCN
Rue
Mauverney 28
CH
1196
Gland
Andy
Spate
ACKMA
c/
Queanbeyan
NSW 2620
Adrian
Phillips
Chairman
CNPPA
c/ IUCN
Rue
Mauverney 28
CH
1196
Gland
Graham
Price
National
Caving Association
3
The Acorns
Oakhill
Somerset
BA 3 5BT
Sr
Clayton Ferreira Lino
Sociedad
Brasileiro de Espeleologia
Rua
Joao Juliao, 296/114
01323
Dr
Jose Pedro de Oliviera Costa
c/- IUCN Brasil Committee
Avenida
9 de Julho
4877
- CEP
01.407.902
S.P.
Brazil
Other Useful Contacts
International
Dr
Pavel Bosak, Secretary
Hlavni
2732/145
CZ-14100
Praha 4
Tel:
42 2
Fax:
42
(page
break)
Glossary
|
Biogenic |
Produced by
living organisms. |
|
Cenote |
A type of
steep-walled collape doline that extends below the water table so as to
contain a pool or lake. |
|
Circadian |
A biological
or behavioural process that recurs in an innate rhythm such as the daily
cycle of sleep and wakedness in humans. |
|
Doline |
A closed
surface depression formed by karst processes, normally with internal drainage
into a cave system or through bedrock fissures. |
|
Duricrust |
A hard silica
enriched soil horizon which commonly occurs in semi-arid landscapes and which
often remains after erosion of overlying less hardened material. |
|
Endemism |
Being only
found in a certain locality; not naturally found elsewhere. |
|
Karren |
Small scale
sculpturing developed on limestone surfaces, either exposed to the rain or
buried beneath the soil. |
|
Karst |
A distinctive
style or terrain that is characterised by individual landform types and
landform assemblages that are largely the product of rock material having
been dissolved by natural waters to a greater degree than in most landscapes. |
|
Palimpsest |
A written or
drawn record which has been totally or partially replaced by another. |
|
Putative |
Supposed;
Reputed. |
|
Speleologist |
An expert in
the scientific study of caves. |
|
Speleothem |
Formations or
deposits in caves caused by the re-crystallisation of dissolved minerals. |
|
Stalactite |
A calcite
deposit growing down from a cave roof. |
APPENDIX
4
Summary
of document in Spanish. [omitted]
APPENDIX
5
Summary
of document in French. [omitted]
APPENDIX 4 - Following summary to be
translated into Spanish.
APPENDIX 5 - Following summary to be
translated into French.
KARST
PROTECTION
Commission
on National Parks and Protected Areas
(CNPPA)
Synthesised
and edited by
(list of lead writers)
IUCN
- The World Conservation
1996
Published by IUCN,
A contribution towards
the printing of this report has been provided by Unesco
under Subvention
I U C N
The World Conservation
Copyright: (1996)
International
Reproduction of this
publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised
without prior permission from the copyright holder.
Reproduction for resale
or other commercial purposes is prohibited without the prior written
permissions of the copyright holder.
Citation: 1996. Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection, IUCN,
ISBN:
Printed by:
Cover photo:
Produced by: IUCN
Publications Services Unit,
Available from: IUCN
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IUCN - The World
Conservation
Founded in 1948, The
World Conservation Union brings together States, government agencies and a
diverse range of non-governmental organisations in a unique world partnership:
over 800 members in all, spread across some 125
countries.
As a
The World Conservation
Union builds on the strengths of its members, networks and partners to enhance
their capacity and to support global alliances to safeguard natural resources
at local, regional and global levels.
The Role of CNPPA
The CNPPA (Commission on
National Parks and Protected Areas) is one of six Commissions of the IUCN.. It is the Worlds leading global network of protected area
experts with over 1000 members in 160 countries in its voluntary work. At the
international level, CNPPA promotes the establishment and effective management
of a world-wide, representative network of terrestrial and marine protected
areas. This is essential to ensure that protected areas can effectively meet
the challenges of the 21st century.
CONTENTS
Preface
I Introduction: Karst
environments and cave systems...
II The importance of
caves and karst
IV Options in protection
of karst
V Karst management at the
regional and site level
VI International
co-operation and liaison
VIII References and
further reading
Appendices:
1. IUCN Categories and
management objectives of protected areas.
2. Membership of CNPPA
Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection and other useful contacts
3. Glossary of terms
4. Summary of document in
Spanish
5. Summary of document in
French
PREFACE
Karst landforms and
associated features such as caves are distributed widely throughout the world.
They have many values and
many are located in various protected areas including several sites designated
on the World Heritage register.
Some reasons for their
protection include:
Karst and caves are
indeed special places. They do however require special management
considerations often extending well beyond the formal boundaries of protected
areas in which the more obvious features fall.
Appropriate management
expertise does not usually lie solely within the
formal protected areas agencies - in fact there is no other landform type where
such a high proportion of the specialised expertise lies outside such
agencies, within the ranks of speleologists and cave explorers.
These guidelines have
been prepared as a brief "aide-memoir" for planners, managers and
users of the karst estate. They are general guidelines or recommendations and
the examples used reflect the first hand knowledge of those who have
volunteered their time to contribute to their preparation. More specific
guidelines and management plans for karst and caves will need to be prepared at
a national, regional or site level. Such guidelines should involve local
community input and ideally local endorsement.
These guidelines were
prepared as an initial draft by a small group of speleologists and karst
managers in
The Working Group is an
informal grouping of scientists, managers, cavers and speleologists who see the
need to improve the sharing of information and expertise between protected area
managers, speleologists and other karst specialists. The group was formed at
the Third World Congress on National Parks held in
We believe that these
guidelines will make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the special
management considerations essential for protection of caves and karst. They are
a "first step" and the challenge now is for the national and site
specific strategies to be developed in karst areas around the world.
I. INTRODUCTION - KARST
ENVIRONMENTS
Two essential
characteristics of karst must be taken into account in developing protective
policies: its integrity is intimately dependent upon maintenance of the natural
hydrological system; and karst is vulnerable to a distinctive set of
environmental sensitivities.
Many karst areas have
been densely populated and heavily impacted for hundreds of years. Given the
vulnerability of karst environments, extreme land and groundwater degradation
has commonly occurred.
Their mysterious
character and beauty has often caused attention to be focused specifically on
caves and so diverted from the wider karst environment. Protection and
management of the wider karst environment is important not
only in its own right but also because it underpins the adequate
protection of a cave or any other single element in a karst landscape.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF
CAVES
In addition to the
importance of retaining examples of karst landforms and landform assemblages as
part of a strategy to safeguard global geodiversity, a number of economic human
and scientific values may be present in karst areas. Hence, there may be a
diversity of demands that are in conflict with one another.
Guideline
1. Effective planning for
karst regions demands a balanced consideration of economic, scientific and
human values, within the local cultural and political context and in a way
which is congruent with that context.
It is fundamentally
important to recognise that the proper protection of caves and karst is not
just a matter of preserving interesting, beautiful or scientifically
interesting natural features. In most cases, it has far-reaching environmental
implications which in turn generate significant economic impacts. Proper
management of karst is an essential element of water resources management.
Caves and karst are
amongst the most vulnerable of landforms, and are often subject to degradation
as a result of phenomena or events which occur at a considerable distance.
Their effective protection and management therefore requires consideration and
action at both regional and local levels.
Guidelines
2. The integrity of any
karst system depends upon an interactive relationship between land and water.
Any interference with this relationship is likely to have undesirable impacts,
and should be subjected to thorough environmental assessment.
3. Land managers should
identify the total catchment area of any karst lands, and be sensitive to the
potential impact of any activities within the catchment, even if not on the
karst itself.
4. Destructive actions in
karst, such as quarrying or dam construction, should be located so as to
minimise conflict with other resource values.
5. Pollution of
groundwater poses special problems in karst and should always be minimised.
6. All other human uses
of karst areas should be planned to minimise undesirable impacts, and monitored
in order to inform future decision-making.
7. While recognising the
non-renewable nature of many karst features, particularly within caves, good
management demands that damaged features be restored in so far as is
practicable.
IV. OPTIONS IN
PROTECTION OF KARST
Protection of karst
features has all too often focused upon caves, and not given adequate
consideration to the need for protection and proper management of the total
karst area as a land unit.
As in many aspects of
protected area management, the establishment of protected areas is not enough
in itself. The management of karst demands specific interdisciplinary expertise
and this is in the early stages of development in most countries. Management
agencies should recognise the importance of this expertise and take advantage
of inter-agency or international co-operation in order to enhance their own
capacity.
Guidelines
8. Governments should
ensure that an appropriate selection of karst sites is declared as protected
areas under appropriate legislation.
9. High priority in
protection should be given to areas or sites having high natural, social or
cultural value; possessing a wide range of values within the one site; which
have suffered minimal environmental degradation; and/or of a type not already
represented in the protected areas system of their country.
10. Where possible, total
catchment areas should be included within the protected areas boundary.
11. Where such coverage
is not possible, consideration should be given to the use of environmental
controls or total catchment management agreements under planning or water
management legislation to safeguard the quantity and quality of water inputs to
the karst system.
13. Management agencies
should seek to develop their expertise and capacity for karst management and
recognise the value of inter-agency or international co-operation.
V. MANAGEMENT AT THE
REGIONAL
Karst management must be
holistic in its approach and should aim to maintain the quality and quantity of
water and air movement through the subterranean environment as well as the
surface.
Guidelines
14. Managers of karst
areas should recognise that these landscapes are complex three-dimensional
integrated natural systems comprised of rock, water, soil, vegetation and
atmosphere elements. Equally management of specific cave sites should recognise
this complexity.
15. Management in karst
should aim to maintain natural flows and cycles of air and water through the
landscape in balance with prevailing climatic and biotic regimes. Management in
caves should equally aim at the maintenance of natural flows.
16. Managers should
recognise that in karst, surface actions may be rapidly translated into impacts
underground and elsewhere.
In general, karst systems
develop over geological timescales which must inevitably include significantly
different environments from that of today. Some karst systems will thus be so out
of phase with prevailing conditions that they have no capacity to regenerate.
Other systems may have some capacity to regenerate but this may entail
timescales greater than that of individual human generations. Caves and their
contents (speleothems, sediments and bones) may have been formed or empleaded
under different climate regimes and may remain unaltered for millennia. These
may require specific management attention because of their fragility.
Guidelines
17. Pre-eminent amongst
karst processes is the cascade of carbon dioxide from low levels in the
external atmosphere through greatly enhanced levels in the soil atmosphere to
reduced levels in cave passages. Elevated soil carbon dioxide levels depend on
plant root respiration, microbial activity and a health soil invertebrate
fauna. This cascade must be maintained for the effective operation of karst
solution processes.
18. The mechanism by
which this is achieved is the interchange of air and water between surface and
underground environments. Hence the management of both quality and quantity of
both air and water is the keystone of effective management at regional, local
and site specific scales. Development on the surface must take into account the
infiltration pathways of water.
Guidelines
19. Management should aim
to maintain the natural transfer rates of fluids, including gases, through the
integrated network of cracks, fissures and caves in the karst. The nature of
materials introduced must be carefully considered to avoid adverse impacts on
air and water quality.
20. Soil management must
aim to minimise erosive loss and alteration of soil properties such as
aeration, aggregate stability, organic matter content and a healthy soil biota.
21. Pivotal to the
prevention of erosion and maintenance of critical soil properties is the
presence of a stable vegetation cover.
22. Because of the
importance of karst areas as biological refuges, further fragmentation by road
construction and similar activities should be avoided. If this is unavoidable,
then corridors for animal dispersal should be maintained as a high priority.
Within caves both terrestrial and aquatic fauna are best protected by the
preservation of air and water quality. Accelerated stream siltation and
compaction of sediments by visitors may be detrimental to cave fauna. The
infrastructure of tourist caves (paths, steps, lights) should be designed to
avoid decomposition and the release of either toxic substances or additional
energy sources into the cave environment.
23. Climate change has
occurred over geological timescales within which karst systems have evolved.
Human intervention has the potential to alter climate in ways that may
radically affect natural karst processes. Management prescriptions must be
flexible, must recognise this possibility and must maximise the resilience of
the system. The effects of high magnitude - low frequency events such as
floods, fires and earthquakes must be recognised in management strategies at
regional, local and site-specific scales.
It is estimated that one
quarter of the world�population gain their water supplies from karst,
either from discrete springs of from karst groundwater. The maintenance of
water quality in karst can be viewed as a common good which is becoming
increasingly important in those areas where rural populations are increasing
rapidly and settlement of karst is well established.
Guidelines
24. Establishment and
maintenance of karst protected areas can contribute to the protection of both
the quality and quantity of groundwater resources for human use. Catchment
protection is necessary both on the karst and on contributing non-karst areas.
Activities within caves may have detrimental effects on regional groundwater
quality.
25. Catchment boundaries
commonly extend beyond the limits of the rock units in which the karst has
formed. Definition of the whole karst drainage network depends on planned water
tracing experiments and cave mapping. The boundary of this extended catchment
can fluctuate dramatically according to weather conditions. Fossil cave
passages can be reactivated following heavy rain.
26. More than in any
other landscape, a total catchment management regime must be adopted in karst
areas. Activities undertaken at specific sites may have wider ramifications in
the catchment due to the ease of transfer of materials in karst.
27. Recognising that the
extraction of rocks, soil, vegetation and water will clearly interrupt the
processes that produce and maintain karst, such uses must be carefully planned
and executed to minimise environmental impact. Extractive industries may be
incompatible with the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
28. Imposed fire regimes
on karst should, as far as is practicable, mimic those occurring naturally if
the aim of management is sustainable land use.
29. Human visiting of
caves and karst may be irreversibly damaging particularly when cumulative over
time. Management planning should recognise this fact and seek to minimise
visitor impacts and maximise environmental protection.
VI. INTERNATIONAL
CO-OPERATION
International
Co-operation can play a vital role in strengthening the karst protection and
management capacity of land management agencies and in ensuring integrated
protection on a world basis.
Guidelines
30. International,
regional and national organisations concerned with aspects of karst protection
and management should recognise the importance of international co-operation
and do what they can to disseminate expertise and share expertise.
31. The documentation of
cave and karst protection/management policies should be encouraged,
and such policies made widely available to other management authorities.
32. A data base should be
prepared listing cave and karst areas included within protected areas, but also
identifying major unprotected areas which deserve recognition. Karst values of
existing and potential World Heritage sites should be similarly recorded.
Karst and caves are very
special places, each unique in its own way and yet highly dependent upon wider
influences over which protected area managers may have very limited control.
It must be stressed once
more that the guidelines presented above must always be applied in a local
context. This will include cognisance of local biodiversity and geodiversity,
plus sensitivity towards socio-economic and political factors.
Hopefully the guidelines
will provide managers and planners with useful aids towards improving community
knowledge of karst and caves, and hence having a better opportunity for local
acceptance of and involvement in improved protection and management. The
guidelines should also assist in preparation of more specific guidelines and
management plans at a national, regional or site level.
This volume is a first
attempt to bring together as many key issues as possible relating to karst and
cave protection in a relatively small booklet. Hopefully it will be widely
distributed and widely used. Constructive criticism is earnestly sought
so that upon revision we can improve upon karst and cave protection.
Meanwhile, the CNPPA
Network on Cave and Karst Protection will continue to provide advice to the
best of its ability, if only to direct requests for help to known sources of
special expertise. We welcome your ongoing interest and support.
Section Membership
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Over the decades,
hundreds of pounds of lint have accumulated along the tour routes of these
National Park caves. Removal will be accomplished with everything from tweezers
to vacuum cleaners. We are soliciting help from anyone interested in resource
protection and restoration. No previous lint cleaning or caving experience is
required, but we like to find a few people with experience in cleaning wet
formations.
The camp will be held
May 6-10, Monday through Friday. Two days will be spent at each cave, with
Wednesday reserved for off-trail caving or sightseeing. No registration fee is
required. Meals and housing will be provided. For more details, please contact
Jim Nepstad at
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