Protecting and Caring for Caves

Conservation practices used in protecting and caring for caves and karst must take into account the living ecosystems found within this evolving landform. Karst geo-ecosystems are fragile and once destroyed are gone forever.

Clean up the Dark is international programme aimed at cleaning up our caves and underground streams from pollution caused by humans.

It is part of the Clean up the World International Day which takes place on 20th September each year.

Our members remove rubbish from caves to help protect the fragile ecosystems found within. Why?

Using cave entrances as rubbish dumps causes:

• leaching of pollutants into soils and waterways,

• distrupts airflows

• restricts and or prevents the movement of cave dwelling animals, such as bats into and out of caves

• provides homes to feral species such as cats, rabbits and invasive weeds which further impact karst ecosystems

Photo: © C. Buswell

Clean up the Dark

What about water found in caves?

The aquifers found in karst landscapes supply drinking water to nearly 10% of the global population some 800 million people'. (Stevanovic 2018).

In Australia, karst aquifers include those of the Ottaway basin, in Victoria, the Daly Rivers Basin, Northern Territory, the Kimberly area of Western Australia and the unconfined aquifer under the Nullarbor.

Our karst aquifers are under a high degree of threat from overuse by mining and agricultural practices.(Barnett, Harrington Cook,etal 2010)

Management of these aquifers is complex, multi-jurisdictional and a site of conflict between users and management authorities.

Rubbish dumped into a cave on the Nullarbor Photo: © C. Buswell

Tailings Dam Pollution Running into a Cave in Tasmania. Photo:© Janice March

You Can be involved signup here:

This site is sponsored by the Conservation Commission of Caves Australia.