Karst Ecosystem Management: Cave and Karst Ecological Resources Management.

Contemporary international perspectives in karst resource management and case study from China and Kentucky

Chris Groves

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 8:30-9:00

Several organizations are actively engaged in international communication and support of karst resource protection. The United Nations, for example, through the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) exists to promote international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO programs contribute to study and protection of karst resources by designation of globally significant areas (Man in the Biosphere Program and World Heritage Convention) and enhanced scientific communication (International Geoscience Program). These efforts have in turn been supported by affiliated organizations, in particular the World Commission on Protected Areas Task Force on Caves and Karst of IUCN, the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the Union Internationale de Spéléologie, and the International Geographical Union. World Bank and The Nature Conservancy personnel have also contributed to evaluation of karst resources and strategies for protection. In 2008 the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning (a consortium between Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) and Western Kentucky University) initiated a program of international collaboration in karst resource management and protection, targeting partners in Slovenia and China. Under the auspices of the NPS Sister Park program, a cooperative effort is evolving between MACA and Guizhou Province’s Libo Zhangjiang National Park, one of three in China jointly designated in 2007 by UNESCO as the South China Karst World Heritage Site. These include both physical resources associated with karst landscapes, as well as cultural ones- -the Libo Zhangjiang area is home several indigenous cultures, including the residents of the Buyi, Shui, Yao Minority Nationalities.

Keywords: KARST, MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK, CHINA, UNESCO, WORLD HERITAGE