Resources

SHOW CAVES: "WHERE, HOW, WHY"

All papers without Agenda

This history chronicles the epic story of the stalagmite that was removed from Admiral’s Cave in Bermuda in 1819 by Admiral Sir David Milne. The account records the known events, from the time that this huge stalagmite was removed from the cave, its journey abroad, and events up to the time of its demise, far away from the place that it was created.

Archaeoacoustics refers to the field of study concerned with the effects of sound in past societies.

As regards the rules and regulations concerning the “touristization” of underground environments, both natural and artificial (caves, mines, military fortifications, etc.), it is necessary to ensure the safety of visitors and members of staff. In Italy specific laws were passed with reference to European and international regulations concerning electrical systems, structural work, air monitoring in caves and all matters concerning the safety of those places whose use is comparable to that of a place of public entertainment. Below you will find specifications and law references.

The Cave of Isturitz (West Pyrenees, France): One Century of Research in Paleolithic Parietal Art Diego Garate 1,*, Aude Labarge 2, Olivia Rivero 1, Christian Normand 1 and Joëlle Darricau 3

Presentation on the current pros and cons of LED lighting.

Dossier on the importance of declaring June 6th as the International Day of Caves and the Subterranean World

Members of the International Show Caves Association (ISCA), national cave associations from many countries, and other cave enthusiasts worldwide are celebrating the International Day of Caves and the Subterranean World on 6th June.

Download this document and share it with your staff and guests to celebrate International Cave Day.

Download this document to promote the celebration of June 6th

Share this information with your staff to celebrate June 6th.

The methodology provides a summary of suitable procedures and preventive measures to remove and control the growth of undesirable flora growths, which turns up near light sources in caves accessible for tourists. The internationally accepted term for these stands is lampenflora. The methodology is compiled on the basis of more than 30 years of experience with removing lampenflora in accessible caves of the Moravský kras, Czech Republic, and also abroad. Adhering to recommended procedures and preventive measures quoted in this methodology can fairly solve the problem of vegetation around cave lamps.

I have been asked to give some insights on how elements of possible meanings of sounds and perhaps music could be found in my studies on the sound dimension of Palaeolithic painted caves.

Today's "LEDidification" and digitalization of cave lighting is described with requirements on luminaries and whole installation. Advangates for operators and ecosystems are explained, solutions, examples and future prospects are presented.

A team from the Czech and Slovak republics, lead by Doctor Natália Martínková from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic and Professor Horáček from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, found that over a tenth of bats hibernating in caves and mines may be infected with fungus Geomyces destructans in the region. Recording increase in incidence of Geomyces destructans infection on that scale is unique in Europe and has never been seen before. In North America, Geomyces destructans has been associated with white-nose syndrome that has already caused drastic mortality in hibernating bats. The scientists published their results on Friday in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, PLoS ONE.

Gaps exist in our understanding of how tourism development affects natural World Heritage Sites, including the nature and extent of different types of impacts from tourism in and around sites, and the underlying reasons for these. The aim of this study is to examine the aforementioned gaps in order to support the development of sustainable tourism in natural World Heritage Sites.Through an increased understanding of the risks and opportunities associated to tourism development and growth in World Heritage, this study hopes to encourage tourism development that while protecting the integrity of the site, also brings income generation opportunities for local communities associated with World Heritage Sites, offers financial and other support for the conservation of the sites, and contributes to visitors’ awareness about the values of nature.

Paleolithic cave art is an exceptional archive of early human symbolic behavior, but because obtaining reliable dates has been difficult, its chronology is still poorly understood after more than a century of study. We present uranium-series disequilibrium dates of calcite deposits overlying or underlying art found in 11 caves, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites of Altamira, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo, Spain. The results demonstrate that the tradition of decorating caves extends back at least to the Early Aurignacian period, with minimum ages of 40.8 thousand years for a red disk, 37.3 thousand years for a hand stencil, and 35.6 thousand years for a claviform-like symbol. These minimum ages reveal either that cave art was a part of the cultural repertoire of the first anatomically modern humans in Europe or that perhaps Neandertals also engaged in painting caves.

White-nose syndrome has devastated bat populations across the eastern United States during the past four years, causing “the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America,” according to biologists. And it keeps spreading into new areas. It has moved north into Canada, south into Tennessee and as far east as Oklahoma. Ultimately, bats all across North America are at risk. This presentation will provide the latest information on White-nose Syndrome and its spread, and discuss how WNS is impacting show caves and what show caves and other agencies are doing to help.