Assessing, monitoring and protecting cave biotopes and geotopes through Natura 2000 or similar programs in Europe
22 – 26 September 2020
Organized jointly by the German Federal Agency for Natur Conservation (BfN) and the European Cave Protection Commission (ECPC) of the European Speleological Federation (FSE) at the BfN-International Academy for Nature Conservation Isle of Vilm, Germany
On behalf of the European Cave Protection Commission and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation we kindly invite all speleologists, scientists and authorities active in cave and Karst monitoring and protection, to participate at the 6th EuroSpeleo Protection Symposium organized jointly by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the European Cave Protection Commission (ECPC) of the European Speleological Federation (FSE).
The Symposium will provide a platform for scientists, speleologists and authorities active in the domain of cave and karst monitoring and conservation.
It should give an overview about Natura 2000 type 8310 ”habtiat caves not open to public” monitoring procedures in EU member states and similar programs in non-EU countries. Main aspects will be monitoring, evaluation and cooperation through borders. It will address appropriate management measures to restore or maintain a favourable conservation status.
The symposium ist organized by ECPC (Bärbel Vogel (DE) & Jean-Claude Thies (LU)) and by BfN (Ute Feit).
If you are interested in attending the symposium, you will find The first circular, a questionnaire and a registration form in the appendix.
Submit filled-in forms to symposium@eurospeleo.org by 1st March 2020.
Jean-Claude Thies
ECPC President
European Cave Protection Commission
Background
Since its origin in 1990, the “Fédération Spéléologique Européenne” (FSE) has tried to promote Cave Protection at a European scale. 17 years later, the FSE General Assembly decided in Sweden in August 2007 to create a commission called European Cave Protection Commission (ECPC) whose tasks would be to sustain the FSE efforts in actively promoting cave and karst protection at European level. At this point, the mission is based on the IUCN Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection and the Habitat Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) and the Recommendation on conservation of geological heritage and areas of special geological interest (Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, 2004) and other existing conventions at the European and global level.
Context
Caves and Karst are important features of the European landscape and have intrinsic natural beauty and value. However they are constantly exposed to numerous human impacts, directly inside the cave environment or indirectly in the associated surrounding.
Karst regions suffer from destruction, air and water pollution associated mainly due to forestry, agricultural chemicals, quarries, landfills, mining, urban and rural development and uncontrolled mass tourism.
The degree of destruction of a cave habitat may be detected directly or indirectly via a systematic monitoring of biospeleological life forms.
The 2020 EuroSpeleo Protection Symposium’s theme of “Assessing, monitoring and protecting cave biotopes and geotopes through Natura 2000 or similar programs in Europe” will focus on scientific and technical aspects of cave and karst monitoring and assessment, protection and conservation, through speleological inputs, exchange of best practice and sharing of knowledge.
Appendix
The First Circular
questionnaire
registration form