Literature

IUCN Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection

The Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection published in 2021, provide an update and expansion of the original Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection, published in 1997. The original guidelines were primarily concerned with geoheritage, and while this remains an important consideration in this second edition, it also covers the biological issues involved in cave and karst conservation. 

Translations of the report are available in multiple languages. 

IUCN Complete Listing of Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection

The complete listing of guidelines for caves and karst protection published in 2021, summarizes all important topics of the Guidelines for the protection of caves and karst in 76 points.

Translations are available in multiple languages.

IUCN The Meaning of Nature

“Nature” is a widely used but rarely defined term amongst scientists, policy makers, business leaders and the public. It is at the heart of many important international frameworks and conventions that, in turn, shape national policy and regulation towards the natural environment. Not only is nature often freely used interchangeably with the term “biodiversity”, but the abiotic component is also often poorly understood and frequently overlooked.

IUCN The Meaning of Nature, 2025

IUCN Key Geoheritage Areas

IUCN’s World Conservacion Congress (WCC) 2020 adopted Resolution 074 which, amongst its operational paragraphs, requested the Director General of IUCN and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to: “...support the development of a detailed study envisaging the establishment of a future IUCN initiative on Key Geoheritage Areas, as a complement to the existing Key Biodiversity Areas programme, in order to protect geoheritage sites of global conservation significance and move towards more integrated nature conservation”.

IUCN Key Geoheritage Areas, 2025

Cave Conservation and Restoration 2006 Edition

The restoration and clean-up of damaged caves is an act of love for the many cavers who donate their time and resources to this intensive, almost exclusively volunteer activity.

Made available to the public, the National Speleological Society' 'Cave Conservation and Restoration' edited by Val Hildreth-Werker and Jim C. Werker, is an in-depth resource helping you to learn more.

IUCN Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection 1.Edition

The primary aim of these guidelines is to increase awareness of cave and karst protection issues primarily within IUCN,WCPA and associated management and conservation agencies and with an emphasis on national parks and other protected areas.

IUCN Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection 1.Edition 1997