Saving and conserving the caves: reflections on 37 years of listings,disputes, submissions and court cases

In order of impact, the main anthropogenic threats to caves in eastern Australia are and have been for the European history of Australia: mining, inundation, vandalism, wear and tear, lampenflora, lint and dust, scientists and poorly informed decisions. Destruction of caves by natural processes is not a focus of this paper as it occurs over a geological time scale and there are few historical accounts of natural catastrophic cave failure. Saving and protecting caves are difficult due to the reliance and insistence on conservation by secrecy used by cavers and the organisations that represent them. Other issues that inhibit cave conservation are: limited public exposure, perceptions of land managers and farmers about caves, a shortage of research-based information on caves and difficulties with establishing the significance of a cave. Cave monitoring and the education of managers and cave guides are known to enhance the conservation of show caves. Actions that would help to save and conserve caves throughout Australia include: changes to planning legislation, establishment of a cave conservation organisation, introduction of specific cave protection legislation and the establishment of a Research Centre for Caves, Karst and Geoheritage.