Cavers Mailing List     № 190

Охрана пещер и карстовых ландшафтов

Автор: Vladimir A. Maltsev
Дата: 12 Dec 1995

 Гг. спелеологи,

     Оказывается, один из ведущих экологических фондов - World
Conservation Union, совместно с парой спелеологических
пещероохранятельных организаций - скоро издает "Методические
Рекомендации по Охране Пещер и Карстовых Ландшафтов" (издавать будет
Кембриджский Университет).
     Всем заинтересованным предлагается изучить черновик меморандума
(прилагается), и до 31 декабря внести предложения и комментарии.
Адреса для оных:
     -
     - Philippe AXELL

     В.Мальцев
     ------------------------------------------------

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GUIDELINES FOR CAVE AND
KARST PROTECTION
Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas
(CNPPA)

Synthesised and edited by
(list of lead writers)
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
1996

Published by IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK
A contribution towards the printing of this report has been provided by
Unesco under Subvention

I U C N=20
The World Conservation Union=20

Copyright: (1996) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources
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, Gland,
Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. pp.
ISBN:
Printed by:
Cover photo:
Produced by: IUCN Publications Services Unit, Cambridge, UK
Available from: IUCN Publications Services Unit,
181a Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODJ, UK
or
IUCN Communications Division,
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
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 in this report do not necessarily
reflect those of IUCN.



IUCN - The World Conservation Union=20

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 Union, IUCN seeks to influence, encourage and assist societies
throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and
to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically
sustainable.
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=20

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.


Les traductions fran=E7aises des 32 recommandations ont =E9t=E9 effectu=E9es=
 par
l=92AIPS et ne constituent pas le texte officiel. Pour le contenu exact du
document, seul le texte anglais est =E0 consid=E9rer.


CONTENTS=20
Preface=20
I Introduction: Karst environments and cave systems
II The importance of caves and karst=20
III Threats to caves and karst=20
IV Options in protection of karst
V Karst management at the regional and site level=20
VI International co-operation and liaison
VII Epilogue


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:

=B7 As habitat for endangered species of flora and fauna
=B7 As sites containing rare minerals or unique land forms.
=B7 Important sites for geologists, geomorphologists and palaeontologists
=B7 Culturally important sites, both historic and prehistoric
=B7 As spiritual or religious features.
=B7 For specialised agriculture and industries
=B7 As =93windows=94 into understanding regional hydrology
=B7 As sources of economically important materials
=B7 For tourism and its associated economic benefits.
=B7 As purely recreational areas, both scenic and challenging.

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 =93aide-memoir=94 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 Australia but with significant input and
subsequent modification by other speleologists and protected area managers
from around the world through the CNPPA Working Group on Cave and Karst
Protection.

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 Caracas, Venezuela, in 1991. It has subsequently provided
advice on cave and karst management to protected area managers and others.
It has provided comment on several World Heritage nominations and it has
prepared these guidelines - the first time such an overview has been
produced at the global level.

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 =93first step=94 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 AND CAVE SYSTEMS


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.=20



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 AND KARST


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=20
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.



III. THREATS TO CAVES AND KARST


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.=20




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=20
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.=20




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=20
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.
12. Land managers should identify karst areas not included within protected
areas and give consideration to safeguarding the values of these areas by
such means as planning controls, programs of public education, heritage
agreements or covenants.
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 AND SITE LEVEL


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.=20



Guidelines=20
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 emplaced under different
climate regimes and may remain unaltered for millennia. These may require
specific management attention because of their fragility.=20



Guidelines=20
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=20
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=92s 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=20
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 AND LIAISON


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.=20



Guidelines=20
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.



VII. EPILOGUE=20

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.=20

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