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downloads
Download the written declaration 66 in your language here:
Campaign documents
- supporting letter from Prof. Elery Hamilton-Smith, IUCN WCPA Caves and Karst Task Force
- supporting letter from George Veni, Ph.D., Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute
Some speleological pictures
For further explanation of the speleological terms see the Glossary of Karst and Cave Terms.
The pictures on this page
may be reproduced freely as long as the full name and society of the photographer is clearly stated. Numbering from left to right.
Karst, limestone and fossils
Photos: Stefan Näff, Swiss Speleological Society
Caves are found in karstic regions. Karst may form unique landscapes, of which some are even under Unesco protection (1st to 3rd). Fossil animals are geological indicators of the conditions during deposit of the sediments a cave is laying in (4th).
Glaciers and ice caves
Photos: Arniko Böke, Swiss Speleological Society (1st, 2nd from left) / Stefan Näff, Swiss Speleological Society (3rd, 4th from left)
10 years ago, these cave entrances have been hidden under a thick alpine glacier (left). Now - because of the glacier deterioration - 20m high
waterfalls emerge from a cave system. This is several kilometers long and drains the whole glacier (2nd). Ice caves are caves containing snow and ice that is naturally trapped. They preserve a climate record over hundreds
or thousands of years, similar to tree trunks (3rd). Speleologists study these caves (4th) and compare their results with climatologists and glaciologists all over the world.
Speleothems
Photos: Arniko Böke, Swiss Speleological Society
Flowstone and speleothems can - similar to ice, but much slower and over a much longer period - record climate data. Speleothems grow over thousands of years, but can be very fragile and destroyed within a fraction of a second.
Surveying and documenting caves
Photos: Arniko Böke, Swiss Speleological Society
The requirement for any speleological conclusion is the discovery and serious documentation of caves (1st: discovery of a new pit, 2nd: discovery of a narrow passage). The caves are consequently surveyed and mapped (3rd). European cave systems can stretch out over hundreds of kilometers, which means speleologists are bound to stay underground during several days to reach remote cave regions (4th & 5th: cave bivouac).
Cave galleries
Photos: Arniko Böke, Swiss Speleological Society
Some typical galleries of European caves.
Education
Photo: Stefan Näff, Swiss Speleological Society
Training of young, interested people in speleological knowledge, technical aspects of caving and environmental awarenes is one of the most important tasks of the national speleological societies and their affiliated clubs.