Biological Dos and Don'ts for Cave Restoration and Conservation

Coexisting harmoniously with a cave’s ecology is extremely important for planning cave restoration projects, protecting cave life, and creating lowimpact guidelines for cavers. This chapter targets the conservation of cave macrobiology—cave life that you can see with the unaided eye. Conservation of microscopic cave-dwelling organisms is discussed in the chapter by Boston, Northup, and Lavoie. (See microbial habitats, page 61.) Before restoring a cave to a more natural state, consider how altered the cave is and define realistic goals for the restoration project. Is it a show cave with many years of accumulated change and little hope of complete restoration, or is it a wild cave that is not so ecologically disturbed? In a show cave we might ask if nuisance species are present—perhaps cyanobacteria thrive near electric lights; perhaps exotic (nonnative) species live in cave lint along trails; or perhaps surface wildlife is attracted to artificial food sources in the cave. No cave is ever completely restored to its former aesthetic or ecological state. Proper biological inventory and project planning will increase the success of restoration efforts. For both show caves and wild caves, ask questions before planning projects.