Environmental
Cave and Karst Outlook
Environmental
Cave and Karst Outlook
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Cave and Karst Outlook
The Environmental Caves and Karst Outlook (ECKO) aims to collect basic information on the current status of caves and karst, focusing on geological diversity, protection measures, biodiversity conservation, and the impact of human activities. It includes links to speleological federations and research.
The International Union of Speleology started this campaign in 2025 and askes its members to list the main issues in just 3 pages per country.
Engage
Engage
Help us to collect cave and karst information:
We will soon update this section with the questionaire.
So you can contact your national speleological organization and ask them to complete the Environmental Cave and Karst Outlook ECKO questionaireProvide your knowledge and help
Join the KCPC ECKO Working Group
For questions contact us
Background
Background
The General Assembly Meeting of the International Union of Speleology (UIS) voted 2022 to work on a report on the status of caves and karst and that UIS member countries will provide data.
In 2024 the Speleological Federation of France did the first Environmental Outlook Status of Caves in France. It became the role model for the European Environmental Caves Outlook EECO form of the European Cave Protection Commission and later for the UIS.
At the International Congress of Speleology 2025 in Brazil the UIS presented the Environmental Caves and Karst Outook to its members. The UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission KCPC established a ECKO working group.
Country Reports
Grotte du Cirque Lot. Photo: Jean-François Fabriol
France
Total Number of Caves: 50,000
Karst Area Coverage: Approximately 40% of total land area
Cave animals: Stygobitic fauna: 381 species and subspecies,
troglobitic species: At least 421 species
Number of Speleologists: 15,000
National Caving Organization: Fédération Française de Spéléologie (FFS)
Mammoth figurine 40.000 years old from Vogelherd Cave. Photo: Peter Hofmann
Germany
Total Number of Caves: 15,000
Number of Lost Caves: 685
Karst Area Coverage: Approximately 12% of total land area
Cave animals (including groundwater fauna): 766
Number of Speleologists: Approximately 2,400
National Caving Organization: Verband der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. (VdHK)
Report Germany 2025
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