BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Volume 59-2 - December 2017

CavesCaves inin anan AncientAncient LandLand Sydney, Australia, 23-30 July 2017

all the details of the event is here

ALSO IN THE 123 PAGES OF THIS ISSUE • Reports of the Secretary General and UIS Commissions • Minutes of the General Assembly and Bureau Meetings • UIS Prizes 2017 • The President’s Column - Renewal and Opportunities • In Mexico, changes to improve national speleology • The new world’s deepest cave • What is the largest cave chamber in the world? and more... BULLETIN BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Union Internationale de Spéléologie TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial BULLETIN Editorial - Historical Issue: Improvement Ahead ...... 3 Official publication of the UIS for publicizing the The President’s Column – Renewal and Opportunities ...... 4 HISTORICAL ISSUE: IMPROVEMENT AHEAD activities of the UIS and the state of the art of The Report of the UIS Secretary General ...... 6 international speleology - ©2018 17th ICS – Final Report ...... 11 By Nivaldo Colzato (Brazil) - Editor UIS Prizes 2017 ...... 42 UIS Adjunct Secretary EDITOR IN CHIEF [email protected] Efraín MERCADO (Puerto Rico) France Habe Prize 2017 ...... 48 The Deepest Cave in the World ...... 49 Dear reader, main objective is to give readers high quality content that GRAPHICS EDITOR Largest Cave Chambers in the World – 3D Scanning Project ...... 52 We are glad to share with you one more issue of the respects their need for accurate and informative speleologi- Nivaldo COLZATO (Brazil) Report - Arts and Letters Commission ...... 53 UIS Bulletin. It’s 123 pages with 186 photos and 22 images, cal news of international interest. Now that the Bulletin has Report - Karst and Cave Protection Department ...... 54 making it the largest and most illustrated issue of the 66 developed a new design and interactive format, we need to DISCLAIMER Report - Artificial Cavities Commission...... 57 bulletins published since the first one in 1970. The major hi- focus our efforts on journalistic excellence. In order to reach The views and opinions expressed in this bulletin are ghlight, however, is the content. Quite varied, full of good such a goal we invite authors to use this guide as a reference those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect Report - Speleotherapy Commission ...... 63 news and important information, the content of this issue for the production of articles that will continue to improve the official policy or position of the International Report - History of Speleology Commission ...... 66 fulfills the purpose of the UIS Bulletin, which is to publish the quality of our publication. Photos and illustrations, for Union of Speleology or its Bureau members unless Report - Cave Rescue Commission ...... 67 the activities of the UIS and the state of the art of interna- example, should be included because they are important for stated. UIS reserves it rights to admit or refuse any Report - Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis Commission ...... 74 article that does not fulfill UIS standards or criteria. tional speleology. more enjoyable reading and a complete understanding of Report - Physical Chemistry, and Hydrogeology of Karst Commission ...... 76 See page 52, for example, the list of the world’s largest the content. Report - Archaeology and Palaeontology Commission ...... 78 mapped chambers. The authors of the “3D Scanning Project” The improvement of the Bulletin is only one of the Report - Pseudokarst Commission ...... 79 want to know how these caves should be rated: by volume many challenges now facing the UIS. Demands for projects Report - Cave Diving Commission ...... 81 or floor area? And where do the chambers begin and end, related to the protection of our speleological natural heri- Report - Bibliography Commission ...... 82 and how do you measure the largest known cave passage in tage for future generations appear regularly throughout Union Internationale the world? It should prove an interesting discussion, but such the world, and stand as one example of the increasing the de Spéléologie Report - Informatics Commission ...... 83 questions are not necessary in the “competition” for depth. importance of caves and karst that the UIS much address, Founded in Postojna, Slovenia, 1965 Report - Publications Exchange Working Group/ Informatics Commission ...... 86 Extending 2,204 m beneath its entrance, Verëvkina Cave has especially because of their direct relationship with water, The UIS is a non-profit, non-governmental Report - Glacier, Firn, and Ice Caves Commission ...... 88 just became the deepest cave in the world, now occupying which is our highest heritage to be protected and preserved. worldwide speleological organization that Mexico, Making Changes to Improve National Speleology ...... 89 promotes the development of interaction between the throne that belonged to its neighbor Krubera (Voronja) As George Veni mentions in the newly created “President’s Minutes of the UIS Bureau Meetings at the 17th ICS – Session 1 ...... 94 academic and technical speleologists of a wide Cave (2,197 m deep). Details of the expedition that reached Column”, “it will require work, and the Bureau cannot do it all th range of nationalities to develop and coordinate Minutes of the UIS General Assembly at the 17 ICS ...... 102 such a spectacular depth are on page 49. alone. We will look at you for support, and I am confident you international speleology in all of its scientific, Minutes of the UIS Bureau Meetings at the 17th ICS – Session 2 ...... 107 In a special 31-page report, you will learn everything will be ready to help.” th technical, cultural and economic aspects. New Statutes of the UIS ...... 111 about the 17 International Congress of Speleology (ICS), Our new UIS President invites us to unite our know- held in Australia last July. It includes the Minutes of the Ge- ledge and energies, as we see in Mexico. On page 89, the NON DISCRIMINATION POLICY In Memoriam – Alain Mangin (France) ...... 114 neral Assemblies of the UIS as well as for the two UIS Bureau Mexican Union of Speleological Association (UMAE, in Spa- The UIS prohibits discrimination against its In Memoriam – Giovanni Badino (Italy) ...... 116 member nations, volunteers, and providers on the Meetings held during the event. In the area of UIS activities, nish), the Mexican representative in the UIS, invites cavers Calendar of Events 2018-2019 ...... 118 basies of race, color, national origin, age, disability, you will find 15 reports from UIS Commissions which show and speleologists that intend to work in Mexico to so based th sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where 18 International Congress of Speleology – Lyon, France 2021 ...... 119 the dynamism of their members and their commitment to on the UIS Code of Ethics for Cave Exploration and Science applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial UIS Bureau 2017/2021 ...... 120 speleological advancement in many fields of science, docu- in Foreign Countries. In following the Code of Ethics, UMAE or parental status or sexual orientation. Should you List of Member Nations ...... 121 mentation, and the protection of caves and karst. On page 6, asks to be contacted for any support and help with interna- have any question, please direct your inquiriry to: Annual Contributions and Bank Account ...... 122 UIS Secretary General Fadi Nader, in his traditional end of tional activities in Mexico, so that the results achieved are Dr. Fadi NADER - UIS General Secretary Editor’s Disclosure ...... 123 term report, describes the main achievements of the UIS over positive for both sides, foreign visitors and local cavers, in [email protected] in the last four years. Among them it is worth highlighting what we call “solidary speleology.” Alternatively, write to: the memorable celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Following such a spirit of unity and friendship, we Union Internationale de Spéléologie Before submitting articles for the UIS Bulletin, please UIS, in Postojna, Slovenia, in July 2015, when we also laun- from the UIS Bulletin invite you, dear reader, to take part in Titov trg 2 - 6230, Postojna - Slovenia Deadline for submissions for the ched the book “FIFTY YEARS OF THE UIS – 1965-2015,” by our future pages. We will be proud to publish new pages with http://www.uis-speleo.org/ past UIS President José Ayrton Labegalini. Most importantly articles on your accomplishments, however we depend on Click here! next issue (Nº 60-1) May 15, 2018 during that celebration, then-UIS President Kyung Sik Woo you. You need to send us your article, maps, and photos so SCIENTIFIC MEMBER OF proposed for UNESCO to recognize 2021 as the International your good work can be shared with the entire speleological COVER: Congress registrants at the opening session. Photo © 17th ICS. Year of Caves and Karst. Secretary Nader also highlights the world. Not only are the doors of the Bulletin open for you, but hard work of the Bureau from 2013-2017 on creating and im- the door to the UIS itself. As our new President George Veni REMEMBER proving several documents, leading the UIS to a modern and also mentions in his column, “there is room for everybody at The UIS Bulletin as a complete SAVE A TREE; DO NOT better structure to face future challenges. the UIS.” issue can be distributed freely. PRINT IF UNNECESSARY Among the new documents we have the Guide for So join us. http://www.icsu.org Submitting and Publishing Articles in the UIS Bulletin. Its

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and Slovenia), seven international organizations, and and thus the cycle renews. The President’s Column 21 national organizations in 12 countries. Despite this Along this cycle, opportunities for funding are progress, we need a country to make our proposal to found to support research, management, and educa- RENEWAL AND OPPORTUNITIES UNESCO. Only UNESCO member countries can make tion. Typically, less funding is available for exploration, proposals, not outside organizations. Several countries which is why the UIS Bureau is looking specifically By Dr. George Veni (USA) have considered it, but there are politics beyond what at ways to raise money from other sources to support UIS President we do that also affect such decisions, so we are still more expeditions and projects. All aspects of speleolo- [email protected] waiting and developing new strategies to find support. gy are important and connected, and the UIS will not If you might have connections to ask your country for neglect any of them! Every four years the speleological world renews siness to better accomplish its goals. So what are the formal support or to propose the International Year of itself at the International Congress of Speleology. New goals for the new Bureau? Commissions Caves and Karst, please let me know! The next UNES- friendships are built, old friendships are continued, The General Assembly decided in Australia to The International Year of Caves and Karst CO General Assembly meets in late 2019 and we hope and ideas for exploration, research, and collaborations simplify the UIS structure and make all Departments, In 2015, during the UIS’ 50th Anniversary Ce- to have a country to make the proposal then. across borders are ignited. Most importantly, congress Commissions, and Working Groups into Commissions. lebration, then-President Kyung Sik Woo made the attendees return home and spread their excitement to International Cave and Karst Programs Commissions are where all cavers can participate di- declaration that the UIS will work to have UNESCO pursue speleology in all of its many forms. If our efforts on the International Year succeed, rectly with the UIS by working with other cavers from declare 2021 as the International Year of Caves and A renewal also occurs with the leadership of the we will need all of the UIS member countries to orga- around the world on any of 22 different commissions Karst. International years are major opportunities to International Union of Speleology (UIS). The General nize events and activities in their countries to support covering all aspects of speleology. Assembly meets, learns of the activities of the commis- educate the public worldwide about important topics, speleology. If we do not succeed, it is even more impor- To get involved, just find the commissions on the sions and other business, and makes decisions to set gain public and governmental support, and increase tant that we hold those activities in 2021 to prove the UIS website, www.uis-speleo.org, and contact the offi- the general course of the UIS for the next four years. funds and opportunities for exploration, research, ma- importance of caves and karst terrains to the general cers to join. There is no cost, and active, excited, par- One of those decisions is to elect a new Bureau, whi- nagement or whatever else is needed. public and governments. Please begin to think about ticipants are most welcome. The Bureau provides the ch conducts the daily business of the UIS and brings Since 2015, the UIS Bureau has worked hard on what events your organizations can develop. It would commissions up to 2,000 euros each year upon request forward new programs and actions to better achieve the International Year. So far we have official letters of be excellent to have UNESCO support, but if we don’t to help them meet their goals. the UIS’ goals “to promote fellowship between people support from four countries (Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, in all countries who are interested in caves, karst, and have their support we can still have an international As I type this column my mind is spinning with related features and terrains, to develop and promote year on our own. I will report later with ideas and spe- the many possibilities and activities of the UIS. Every all aspects of speleology (scientific, technical, cultural, cific requests so we can be prepared in either case. day I get news and messages that excite me about the future of the UIS and speleology. But it will require sporting, social, and economic), and [to advance] the International Partnerships work, and the Bureau cannot do it all alone. We will protection and management of the world’s speleological During the International Congress in Australia look to you for support, and I am confident you will be and karst heritage in ways conducive to sustainable de- earlier this year, the UIS renewed its important Memo- velopment in all locations where caves or speleological ready to help. randum of Understanding with the International Show activities occur” (UIS Statutes). One thing that constantly impresses me is how Caves Association. Since Australia, the Bureau has be- One of the major accomplishments of the pre- cavers step forward to help with speleological training, gun to look at developing other major scientific and vious Bureau was to conduct a major revision and im- cave protection, publications, and even organizing ex- political partnerships. Today as I write this, the UIS provement of the UIS documents. When they were pu- cellent international congresses such as we enjoyed was accepted as a United Nations Non-Governmental blished last year for review in UIS Bulletin v. 58, no. 2, this year in Sydney. And as a group, I find cavers the Organization (NGO)! All of us on the Bureau would ra- it was the first time they had been published all toge- most adaptable and creative at solving problems. With ther go caving, but we are doing this work for the UIS ther. Some delegates misunderstood and thought they your support, I have no doubt that the next four years to make speleology better for everyone. had expanded in length. In fact, although some docu- will be the best yet for speleology, and thus the best to Speleology is a subject where sport and tech- ments were new, many of the older documents were date for the UIS. If you have any ideas for the UIS or nical specialists rely on each other. Sport cavers find, made shorter, simpler, and clearer. While it was a bur- want to reach me with questions or to offer assistan- explore, and map caves. Their efforts make research den to prepare, review, and approve those documents, ce, please feel free to contact me at . possible for the scientists. The scientific results prove [email protected] it was necessary for the UIS to grow and improve in the I look forward to working with you and seeing the UIS coming years. that caves have value and need to be properly mana- and speleology grow.

For the first time, the UIS as a non-profit orga- © George Veni ged. Educators teach the public and politicians about nization can legally sell its books and other materials, the importance of caves, which leads to the protection more easily accept donations, and conduct other bu- George Veni in Parks Ranch Cave, USA. of caves and karst areas allowing more exploration—

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the dictionary, increasing the total number of langua- who helped building the UIS, was the initiative that THE REPORT OF THE ges to 28. We collectively contributed in predicting President Kyung Sik WOO started, consisting in pro- global changes and evolution of the past, modern and posing an International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK future climatic trends (e.g. new technologies using 2021). This initiative was declared by our President at UIS SECRETARY GENERAL clumped oxygen isotopes and U-dating). Speleothems the 50th Anniversary of the UIS, after having succe- represent one of the first objects for such analyses – eded for the first time an Extraordinary General As- for the period from August 2013 to July 2017 they must be valued and protected. Commissions and sembly by Electronic Voting confirming the will of the July 23, 2017 Working Groups have been pushing further the limits whole UIS to proceed with this venture. 34 Member- of our knowledge on various levels. We have to thank -Countries replied to our call for the special GA and By Dr. Fadi NADER (Lebanon) all of them for their continuous efforts and achieve- Electronic Voting. I thank these countries and the con- UIS Secretary General ments. cerned delegates for their active engagement. I would [email protected] The efforts of the UIS Bureau members, Past- like also to thank Efrain Mercado, Nivaldo Colzato and -Presidents, and Honorary Members are continuously Jasmina Rijavec for preparing the electronic form. Fi- Dear Cavers and National Delegates, Ladies employed for cave and karst protection. In 2014, the nally, 33 countries voted “yes” for the IYCK 2021 and and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends, Lebanese Government (Ministry of Tourism) asked the only one country voted “no”. Fadi H. NADER UIS to make an expertise visit and report concerning This second major event is very important as UIS Secretary General It is a traditional duty for the UIS Secretary Ge- since 2005 the Jeita show cave. This has been achieved by Arrigo well and it has major impact on the future of the UIS. neral, to present short but exhaustive report to the Nader © Fadi Cigna, Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns and José Ayrton La- We have approached the UNESCO in Paris and we General Assembly on the activity of the International begalini in the framework of the Department of Karst received considerable support. We have still two win- Union of Speleology, of the Bureau and the Secretary do (US Bulletin #56-1, 56-2 – 2014; #57-1, 57-2 – 2015; and Cave Protection, led by Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns. I dows of opportunities to get this project approved by General between the previous congress (2013 Brno – #58-1, 58-2 – 2016; and #59-1 – 2017). Also, since a few remind you as well that the UIS plays an important role the UN. First, at this Fall (2017) UNESCO/UN coun- Czech Republic) and the present one (2017 Sydney – years you all know that we are on Facebook (now with in similar world-related issues and holds a worldwi- cils, and if not in 2019. We need all possible support to Australia). more than 1.400 members). de recognition. In July 2016, Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns achieve this big challenge. First I would like to invite you to observe a mo- Numerous important activities and achieve- collaborated also with the office of Fauna & Flora In- ment of silence for those friends who left us in the last ments related to the world of caves and karst occurred ternational in Myanmar, part of “Myanmar Karst Con- Why IYCK 2021? four years and whose impact on speleology is consi- since the last speleological congress that was held in servation Program” – a seminar on the management At least… derable, among many I mention here: Alfredo Bini [I], Brno in the Czech Republic in 2013. Cave exploration, and the protection of caves open to the public. • to improve public awareness about caves and Rajko Bracic [Si], Yaroslav Chonka [Ua], Gyorgy De- and/or research, international collaborations met with As you know, the UIS has been accepted as as- karst - awareness = protection; nes [H], Trevor Ford [Aus], Ivan Gams [Si], Ken Grimes increasingly difficult challenges for protecting karst sociate member of ICSU (UNESCO’s International • to build worldwide educational capacity throu- [Aus], Elery Hamilton-Smith [Aus], Steve Hudson [US], areas and preserving caves. Major discoveries were Council of Scientific Union) in 2011. We have also con- gh cave/karst related activities; Sami Karkabi [Lb], Ted Lane [Aus], Michel Letrone [F], made in China, Iran, Croatia, Mexico, and other places tributed to the ICSU Scientists’ Responsibility Act. We • to demonstrate how taking care of caves and Osvaldo Martinez [Ar], Charlie Self [Uk], Nicholas around the globe. We keep improving our knowledge continue to have cordial support from the Internatio- karst affects global economic and environmental health; Sullivan [US], Hubert Trimmel [A], and Norman Veve on several aspects related to karst and caves and de- nal Union of Geography and the International Union • to promote caves/karst for sustainable deve- [Pr]). velop more advanced technologies – including the uti- of Geological Sciences, among other international lopment and inter-disciplinarity as well international I will follow the same format and tradition han- lization of drones, laser-scanners, numerical modeling scientific unions, among other Science Unions. collaboration, particularly in water resources, agricul- ded to me by Prof. Pavel Bosak, twelve years ago. I and imaging, as well as advanced caving and rescue Two major inter-connected events and initiati- ture, geotourism/ecotourism, and natural/cultural he- am also very grateful for all the support I had throu- techniques, cave mapping, photography and filming. ves have taken place in the last four years. The 50th ritage; ghout these years. The help of fellow, colleagues of the We keep on pushing further our knowledge on forms anniversary of the UIS that was celebrated in Postojna The year 2021 is also the 100th year anniversary UIS Bureau – including past presidents and honora- similar to karst also in other rocks, in salt, gypsum, (in Slovenia) on the 19th of June 2015. The celebration of the publication of Edouard Alfred Martel’s Nouveau ry members, head of departments, commissions, and sandstones, volcanic and metamorphic rocks and even was under the honorary patronage of his Excellency Traité des Eaux Souterraines (New Treatise on Under- working groups – also made this difficult task easier in ice. Several commissions and working group (such Mr. Borut Pahor, the President of the Republic of Slo- ground Waters), which revolutionized understanding and efficient. The UIS Bureau regularly informs its ac- as the ‘Glaciers, firn and ice caves’, ‘Pseudokarst and venia and was held in Postojnska Jama in Kongresna of the importance of caves to karst aquifers. Martel’s tivities and resolutions through the UIS Bulletin that artificial cavities’, and ‘volcanic caves’ commissions Dvorana (Congress Hall) – in the very same place work inspired others to explore and study caves, which is published electronically only – since 2008 – on the are very active and continuously document special where the Union was founded in 1965. A total of 252 led to the creation of the International Union of Spe- UIS website, and which has been tremendously upgra- types of underground cavities. The Caver’s Dictionary participants from 36 nations participated at this event. leology (UIS) in 1965. The 18th International Congress ded since 2013 by the hardwork of Nivaldo Colzato, Jas- working group keeps on adding translation languages. Probably our greatest achievement and a way of Speleology will be held in 2021 in France pending mina Rijavec and under the guidance of Efrain Merca- Arabic, Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian were added to to express our gratitude to our past and to the people the GA’s vote in a week, and will be the core of activi-

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In fact, we were almost continuously in touch -countries that have honored their financial duties to- hope that this matter will be approved by the General also agreed to support the International Year Project. by electronic post, email, skype and facebook. I would wards the Union. I must thank Nadja Hajna Zupan for Assembly. Besides, the General Assembly has to vote International organizational partners include: like to thank all of you very much for your co-operation her continuous effort in having our books up-to-date. on the continuing activities of the Commissions. The 1) European Speleological Federation; and self-dedication. Following the UIS Statutes, Member countries which new UIS Bureau has to deeply analyze the situation of 2) International Show Caves Association; The activity of the UIS, its bodies and member do not honor their payment duties will not be conside- individual Commissions and to search for better future 3) International Union for the Conservation of countries can be assessed from the various events, red affiliated to the Union and will need to re-apply to solutions – some inactive entities should be dissolved. Nature; and regularly published on the UIS webpages, in the UIS become Member-Countries. The UIS Bureau pledges 4) International Union of Geological Societies. Bulletin and in other speleological magazines, jour- on your behalf to apply the Statutes. The UIS Bulletin National organizational partners include: nals and newsletters and Facebook (1400 members). I have to mention again and again that the me- The Bulletin was published regularly since the 1) France (French Federation of Speleology, Geo- The UIS Bulletin includes all reports concerning the chanism of contacts with Member-Countries via na- last ICS (Brno, 2017). In 2014, two separate numbers parks Group of France); time period from August 2013 when the Assembly Ge- tional delegates remains very problematic, especially (no. 56-1 and 56-2) were published. In 2015, two other 2) Belgium (Belgium Union of Speleology, Wallo- neral during the 16th International Congress of Spele- when there are several self-appointed delegates, so- numbers (no. 57-1, 57-2). In 2016, two other numbers on Commission for the Study and Protection of Under- ology elected the new UIS Bureau up to the present -called national federations or associations in the one (no. 58-1, 58-2). This year (2017), one Bulletin (no. 59- ground Sites); time, i.e., mid-July 2017. The final report and financial country. In some countries the legality of so-called 1) has just been published. Bulletin volumes could be 3) Slovenia (Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU); and reviews were completed by June 22, 2017 (They will be elected or selected national delegate(s) is questiona- found and downloaded from the UIS website as men- 4) USA (National Cave and Karst Research Insti- published in the upcoming Bulletin). ble. To be the national delegate to the UIS represents tioned above. We ask you again to help in submitting tute, National Caves Association, National Speleologi- duty and no honor, it represents the service for natio- articles, especially that now there is a simple and cal Society). THE UIS BUREAU nal caving bodies and cavers and no income or pres- straightforward way to prepare such articles with a I am looking forward to the coming week at the The UIS Bureau was composed as follows: tige in return. The delegate must remember that he/ standardized format (found on the website). 17th ICS, here in Penrith (Sydney), to meet all of you Kyung Sik Woo (Republic of Korea) as the President, she represents ALL the cavers of their country and not – cavers and scientists of the world –, in particular George Veni (USA) as Vice-President of Administra- the one Federation, Association or Club they belong to. International Journal of Speleology cavers of Australia and the Far East. This part of the tion, Efrain Mercado (Puerto Rico) as Vice-President This is the very spirit of the UIS and it is expressed by Since 2013 the IJS is exclusively electronic throu- world that also well deserves reaching out for it and vi- of Operations, Fadi H. Nader (Lebanon) as Secretary strictly voluntary work for the sake of the community. gh the Karst Information Portal (and with the Univer- siting. I now, understand – having made the trip from General, Nadja Zupan Hajna (Slovenia) as Adjunct Se- sity of South Florida). It is our top medium for publica- far away – how difficult it is for you guys to come to the cretary Acting Treasurer, and Christian Dodelin (Fran- The finances tion of scientific achievements. Prof. Bogdan Onac has events in Europe and/or the Americas. So, I am looking ce), Giovanni Badino (Italy), Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns See separate report of Nadja Zupan Hajna, Ac- followed on Prof. De Waele and is doing an excellent forward to exchange experience, knowledge, results as (Belgium), Mladen Garasic (Croatia), Nivaldo Colzato ting Treasurer, on page 95. (click here to access) job as Editor-in-Chief since the last congress. In addi- usual, but also to have fun and entertainment, to meet (Brazil), Zdenek Motycka (Czech Republic), and John I would like simply to announce to you that our tion, the IJS is on SCI-extended and with, currently, a new friends. For, what is caving without friendship? Cugley (Australia) as Adjunct Secretaries. overall budget in 2016 was around 45,000 USD and very good impact-factor (2015) 1.559. The preparation of this ICS (2017) was nothing easy, The UIS Bureau met three times, i.e., on 31 Oc- 20,000 Euro, and it is today around 36,500 USD and especially with so many obstacles (costs, world eco- tober/1 November 2014 in Sydney (Australia), on 20-21 around 29,000 Euro. This means that our accounts are Co-operation with other NGOs, nomy crisis, visa, etc.). The organizers of this congress June 2015 in Postojna (Czech Republic), and on 18-19 stable and we expect to have additional input at this governmental and private bodies spared no efforts and we all owe them tremendously. August 2016 in Dalesbridge (UK). General Assembly as Member-Countries dues are paid. Colleagues and members of the UIS co-operate The UIS Bureau followed all the caving activi- The UIS Bureau focused its main efforts to provi- with the International Union of Conservation of Na- ties in member and also non-member countries. In the de solution to several emerging problems and normal Commissions and Working Groups ture (IUCN) on the preparation of protected areas in last four years, the UIS Bureau members attended and administrative tasks, e.g., UIS exposure, diversification The structure of UIS Commissions and Working karst and with the Commission of UNESCO for World contributed to about 60 international speleological of financial sources and financial state-of-the-art, Groups was traditionally the same as in the past. A lot Heritage List. We have also been present at the last events around the world. We have been present at the karst and cave protection and preservation; contacts of Commissions and Working Groups worked efficien- ICSU Congress, as Associate Member. In addition, an ICSU, ISCA, FEALC, FSE, AUS, Balkan Speleological with UNESCO, ICSU and ISCA, co-operation with tly with substantial outputs (e.g., publications, sympo- excellent relationship with ISCA has been established Union, among others which I cannot list all here. In other non-governmental institutions, Commissions sia, conferences, workshops). About 13 of these enti- in the last few years. general, such international conventions and meetin- and Working Groups, connection to national delega- ties reported their activities for the period 2013-2017 The relationship of the UIS with continent-scale gs are increasing, expressing the healthy growth of tes, and public relation. – today we have 25 commissions and working groups. bodies of speleology such as the FEALC, the European

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Federation, the Asian Union of Speleology has impro- dified version of the Statutes and upgraded Internal ved tremendously. I salute a lot of initiative in this line. Regulations. We have published them in the UIS Bulle- The UIS remains the world-umbrella organization of tin and gave more than 6 months for the Delegates to Final Report speleology and relates on its connections with regio- review them. We received comments only from six (6) nal and national bodies. Member-Countries and we have worked on answering them (to be presented later). The new Statutes are in The UIS future line with Slovenian laws applicable on the UIS, since The future of our non-governmental, non-profit we are based in Postojna. I ask you on the behalf of the organization remains the most important challenge for Bureau to vote them today and that we move forward any UIS Bureau. Though we have managed to bring with the Union. UIS to be recognized as a prestigious international Last but not least, Karst/Cave conservation and scientific union, cave- and karst-scientists are beco- protection. Every year we are witnessing huge dama- ming increasingly independent of UIS and its commis- ge on karst features and caves all over the world. We sions. At the same time, many exclusively sporting and can claim minor success in protecting some of them, touristic activities are emerging. They do generate a but we have many still to fight for. This is a continuous threat on our tradition, as for us caving must remain fight and I hope that we will be able to be more success- Sydney, Australia, 23-30 July 2017 a mix of science, sports and culture and never a stric- ful in the future. Here again, the IYCK will be a pertinent tly competitive sporting activities. Our Code of Ethics step towards global awareness and cave protection. clearly states that no competition should be in caves. I believe in international collaboration and ini- The future of UIS also involves the speleologists tiatives of base-level cavers. There is room for every- Caves in an Ancient Land and the cavers of the whole world. UIS (General As- body at the UIS and I keep saying to all cavers I meet Caves in an Ancient Land sembly, Bureau and Commissions) need to listen to the that they have to consider the UIS as their own club, needs of cavers and speleologists, and they need to national and regional organizations. With the internet By Denis MARSH (Australia) President, 17th ICS Organizing Commission consider themselves part of the UIS. For that we also and today’s technology, the world is becoming increa- (a commission of Australian Speleological Federation Inc) need to be able to convey their messages (and voice) singly connected, and together we have more chances [email protected] to larger authorities such as the National/Government to serve our future generations of cavers and protect institutions and International organizations (UNES- our caves. CO). The Project of the IYCK 2021 with the excellent Dear colleagues, at the end of this week you will Introduction rum for the exchange of information in and between disciplines within speleology through a full program collaboration with the French Federation of Speleolo- elect the new UIS Bureau. I have one comment to the th The 17 International Congress of Speleology of paper and poster sessions and workshops. There gy is a good example of that. Our support to Cyprus composition of this body similar to what I always asked th (17 ICS), Speleo 2017, was organized by the Aus- was a wide scope of activities including mid-week Cave Project (funded by EU) is another concrete exam- for. Please, elect persons who are geographically spre- tralian Speleological Federation Inc (ASF) (the host excursions to nearby karst areas, technical sessions, ple and we are now hoping to achieve yet another such ad over all continents. The concentration of members organization) on behalf of the International Union of a welcome reception and congress banquet, competi- big project on the Mediterranean caves together with from one continent is not very useful for the Bureau Speleology (UIS). ASF is a wholly volunteer speleolo- tions in photography, cartography and art, along with gical organization with no institutional support and sporting events and a partners’ excursion program. the French initiatives. The UIS needs to evolve. Our activities; our operations need persons from Europe, Asia th no paid secretariat. The 17 ICS was held at Penrith Pre and post-Congress field excursions were run to va- structure needs to be modern and able to survive in and Africa (including the Middle East), Australia, North (western Sydney), Australia, 23 July – 29 July, 2017. rious karst areas around Australia and New Zealand. the future so that it can serve better the aspirations of America, Central and South America and Caribbean. This was the first time the ICS has been held in Aus- The UIS General Assembly meeting, attended the cavers and the protection of our world. Dear friends, I hope that I touched the most tralia and only the second time in the Southern He- by the world delegates, was convened during con- misphere (Brazil - 2001). We should succeed in supporting the cavers ir- important topics concerning the UIS and some of the duct of the Congress, split into two sessions, the first The 17th ICS showcased speleology in Australia respective of geopolitical and economical situations. lessons we learnt during the last four years. Do not he- session on Sunday 23 July and the second on Satur- under the theme “Caves in an Ancient Land”, day 29 July. The UIS Bureau has been working on new mechanisms sitate to approach me, and any member of this Bureau, inspired by the Australian landscape with Archaean for raising funds and supporting speleological projects for any question, suggestion or comments. rocks more than 2.5 billion years old, among the ol- Congress Support and expeditions with the dedication of Zdenek Mo- dest known and containing some of the first evidence of life (primitive cyanobacterial mats known as stro- Partners of the Congress included Australian tycka. Yet, we face problems with the representation Fadi H. Nader matolites), together with Proterozoic dolomites 1.4 – 1.8 Cave and Karst Management Association Inc. (ACK- mechanism of these cavers at the UIS (here I recall the UIS Secretary General billion years old and known to contain significant caves. MA), the New Zealand Speleological Society (NZSS) issues related to delegates). We have worked out a mo- The Congress followed the UIS tradition as a fo- and Cave Diving Association of Australia (CDAA).

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Companies, associations, agencies and individuals who provided financial or material Supporting partners of the congress included • SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural sponsorship support included (click on the logos to access respectives websites): (click on the logos to access respectives websites): Resources (Naracoorte Caves - World Heritage Site) • Dubbo Regional Council (Wellington Caves • WA Parks and Wildlife Service (Margaret River Caves) Major Sponsor Supporting Sponsors Financial Summary of the ICS We can report that the 17th ICS was concluded in Official business tourism Australasian Cave and Karst a positive financial position. A small loan from the UIS promotion and marketing Commercial adventure activities provider Management Association Inc. (ACKMA) and significant loan funds advanced to the organizing support organization Commission from the ASF have been repaid in full. The ICS Organizing Commission has met all ICS financial obligations to the UIS in accordance with ICS protocols. As required by the UIS, 5% of the Gold Sponsor total income from ICS registration fees has been paid to the UIS Treasurer. The UIS surrendered a portion Privately owned Show Caves of this obligatory ICS payment towards 8 registration scholarships to assist attendance at the Congress. New Zealand Speleological Cave Diving Association As with other ICS’s, the 17th ICS has also contri- Custom LED lighting solutions for Show Caves Society (NZSS) of Australia (CDAA) buted a donation of US$ 3,000 (A$ 3,624) to the UIS towards their loan fund to assist future ICS organi- Supplier of quality Climbing and Caving hardware zers meet initial expenses before registration begins. Silver Sponsors We also acknowledge our smaller sponsors who added to the flavour of the event: Organization of the Congress • MTDE via Al Warild The Congress was organized by the 17th ICS • Seven Sheds Brewery & Meadery Organizing Commission, a commission established Technical outdoor • Spiroll Rope Protectors by the Australian Speleological Federation Inc (ASF). clothing producer C.R. Kennedy, Survey Solutions • Marlyn Alpaca The ASF is the national body that represents the inte- Australian distributor of Leica Geosystems products • TFM Engineering rests of 28 Australian caving clubs and currently has • Wild Cave Tours over 900 members. ASF appoints Australia’s delegate • Engadine Cottage to the International Union of Speleology, General As- Local Government sembly meetings. body for Penrith Many ASF members and their respective speleo- region logical organizations provided valuable in-kind The executive members of the Organizing Manufacturing batteries support with special mention to: Commission included: • Northern Caverneers • Denis Marsh – Congress President/Convener, plus • Chillagoe Caving Club Chair, Public Relations Committee Bronze Sponsors • Metropolitan Speleological Society • Nicholas White – Vice President, plus Chair, White • Canberra Speleological Society Nose Syndrome Committee and Co-Chair, Program • Orange Speleological Society • Jim Crockett – ICS Secretary, plus Chair, Venue & Provider of high quality, powerful mobile LED lamps • Newcastle-Hunter Valley Speleological Society Audio Visual Facilities and Electrical Test & Tag Service Facilitator New Zealand based manufacturer • Western Australian Speleological Group • David Butler – ICS Treasurer, plus Chair, Finances and of caving overalls, harnesses, SRT • Victorian Speleological Association Registrations Committee kits, and gear bags • Southern Tasmanian Caverneers • George Veni - Ex Officio representative from UIS Bure- • Sydney University Speleological Society au (UIS Vice President) • Cave Exploration Group of South Australi • John Cugley – Ex Officio representative from ASF (ASF Adventure thermals and women’s fashion items • Highland Caving Group. President, UIS Adjunct Secretary) from Tasmanian merino wool A special mention also to: Other Chairpersons of the Organizing • Sydney Speleological Society (Australia) Design and manufacture of superior quality outdoor Commission in charge of the main • Nelson Speleological Group (New Zealand) adventure gear and caving equipment organizational areas were: • NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (Jenolan • Cathie Plowman – Chair, Pre and Post Congress and Caves, Yarrangobilly Caves and Wombeyan Caves) Publisher of research and journals covering a Mid-week Field Excursions Committee, Field Guides Coor- • Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (Chillagoe- Andy Eavis (UK) broad range of topics related to speleology dinator, Registration Desk Coordinator, Merchandise Coor- -Mungana Caves) dinator, Congress Satchel Filling Coordinator

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• Dr Janice March – Chair, Sponsorship Committee, ful running of the congress event. The entire Congress Congress promotion was assisted by the UIS Bu- Poland...... 2 Chair, Exhibition Hall Committee and Donors Dinner Co- was organized and run by volunteers. The Publications reau, our Partners (ACKMA, NZSS) and a number of Portugal...... 5 ordinator committee extend their thanks to the dozens of cavers international federations around the world who sha- Puerto Rico...... 8 • Ann-Marie Meredith – Chair, Promotions Committee, Romania...... 1 and speleologists who gave their time to review the red 17th ICS bulletins, announcements and informa- Facebook Administrator, eBulletin & Program Handbook many papers and posters that were submitted. Russian Federation...... 4 Editor, Media Liaison tion posts with their contact lists and kindly provided Serbia...... 1 • Dr Catherine Hemley – Chair, Information Services links to the Speleo 2017 website. The ASF and ACKMA Slovakia...... 4 Committee, Circular 3 and Field Guides Editor, Volunteers Promotion of the ICS promoted the event extensively in Australasia. Slovenia...... 6 Coordinator The ICS was promoted at NSS conventions in South Africa...... 1 • Dr Susan White – Chair, Publications Committee, The organizing Commission established a web- Spain...... 3 the USA in 2014, 2015 & 2016. We especially wish Chair, Papers Review Committee and Proceedings Coordi- site (https://www.speleo2017.com) and Facebook Page Sweden...... 3 to thank Emily Davis and Mike Warner from Spele- nator (https://www.facebook.com/Speleo2017) to promote Switzerland...... 11 • Jill Rowling – Co-Chair, Program Committee and Arts obooks (USA) for their assistance with this. Repre- United Kingdom...... 11 the ICS and inform registrants. Other methods used Salon Competition Coordinator sentatives of the 17th ICS Organizing Commission United States...... 119 to promote the event included an email subscribers • Dr Mike Lake – Speleo 2017 Web Server, Email Server attended and provided promotional material and Vietnam...... 1 & Conference Registration and Payment Management Sys- list, occasional email posts, eBulletins, posters, book- presentations at several international events, inclu- The registration numbers were within the anti- tem Administrator, Congress Badge Coordinator marks and stickers. Three ICS Circulars were relea- ding the 2nd Asian Transkarst conference (2015), 75th cipated range and budget calculations. It can be said sed and posted to the Speleo 2017 website. The 17th Other executive team major support NSS Convention (2016), International Volcanospele- these reflect the distance and cost of overseas travel ICS website will remain live until December 2018. coordinators and facilitators included: ogy Symposium (2016) and EuroSpeleo (2016). to Australia which was always recognized as a chal- • Kevin Moore – Circular 3, Program Handbook and Pro- We would like to acknowledge all the valuable lenge for the organizing committee. A suitable range ceedings Layout and Production of accommodation options was available in close pro- assistance from international organizations and indi- • Grace Matts – Commission Meetings Facilitator ximity to the Congress and these were able to be per- viduals which played an important role in our event • Colin Tyrrell – Speleo 2017 Webmaster and Certifica- sonally booked online in advance. Participants arran- tes of Appreciation Production promotion. ged their own travel to the venue with trains being • Justin Wilkinson – Speleo Olympics Obstacle Course the main mode of transport from Sydney’s domestic Coordinator, Exhibition Hall Facilities Coordinator • Ian Collette – Speleo Olympics Rope Challenge Coor- List of participants and international airport to the Congress venue. dinator Thirty nine Letters of Invitation were provided to overseas registrants to support visa applications. • Douglas Irvin – Accommodation Coordinator The total number of registrants for the Congress • Mary Ann Irvin – Partners Program Coordinator The ICS Organizing Commission cooperated with the was 462, representing attendance from 42 countries • Brian Evans – Photographic Salon Competition Coor- Australian Government’s Department of Immigration dinator listed below by numbers in alphabetical order: and Border Protection to facilitate visa approvals. • Dr Phil Maynard – Cartography Salon Competition Co- Australia...... 163 Austria ...... 3 ordinator th • Cindy Tan – Circular 2 Layout and Publication Belgium...... 1 17 ICS Attendance • David & Sue Tweed – Congress Satchel Contents Faci- Brazil ...... 8 litator and Logistics Support Canada...... 3 Scholarships • Sandra Chrystal – Congress Banquet Coordinator China...... 8 In total, 14 ICS attendance scholarships were Croatia...... 4 • Greg Leeder – Audio Visual Set-up Support and Ses- offered to eligible participants. These were offered sion Presentations Data Collection Czech Republic...... 5 France...... 9 by the UIS, ASF and a special Crowd Funding appeal. • Terry Matts – Electrical Equipment Test and Tag Ser- The Crowd Funding appeal organized by Ca- vices Facilitator Germany...... 14 thie Plowman (Chair, ICS Field Excursions commit- • Daryl Carr – Congress Registrants Group Photographer Greece...... 2 • Myf White – Certificates of Attendance Facilitator Hungary...... 4 tee) raised funds to financially support 2 registrants • John Dunkley – ICS Promotions Support and ICS Re- Indonesia...... 6 from emerging countries in the Oceania Region to presentative for NSS Convention Presentation Israel...... 1 attend the Congress. The two recipients were chosen • Robert Kershaw – Administration Support Italy...... 13 from around 10 applications and required a presen- • Ros Hart – Book Launches Facilitator Japan...... 6 tation at the Congress. The recipients included Isma • Joan Crabb – ASF Display Stall and Sales Coordinator Korea Republic of...... 7 Dwi Kurniawan, Indonesia (Detection of Human Acti- • John Bonwick – Storage Support Facilitator LAO Peoples Democratic Republic...... 1 vities Impact on Show Caves Environment in Pacitan, • Wendy Stanford – Program Assistance Lebanon...... 1 Indonesia) and Roxanne Tsang, Papua New Guinea Luxembourg...... 1 There were many volunteers who cannot be (Nakanai Cave/Karst Country, New Britain, PNG: An Malaysia...... 2 fully listed here but are deserved of our thanks, espe- Mexico ...... 1 Anthropological Perspective). cially the field excursion coordinators and their sup- Netherlands...... 2 The ASF financially supported 4 registrants port staff members totaling more than 45 volunteers, New Zealand...... 7 from within Australia to attend the ICS from their along with other numerous volunteers assisting in Norway...... 3 special Congress Attendance Grants scheme. Reci- many ways during the running of the Congress. Their Circulars, bookmarks and two sizes of stickers were Papua New Guinea...... 1 pients included Erica Barlow (Conveying the impor- work contributed greatly to the smooth and success- among the methods used to promote the event Philippines...... 6 tance of stromatolites to self-guided tourists in Nettle

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Cave, Jenolan, NSW), Matej Lipar (Speleogenesis in • Wishnu Wibisono, Indonesia (half registration) (A Spe- White-nose Syndrome and Congress Biosecurity Stockyard Gully National Park and Beekeepers Natu- leo-Archaeology Study of Kali Banjar Underground River: re Reserve, Western Australia), Heather Siebert (pos- Approach on the Research of Site Formation Process) The risk of introducing the fungus causing ned or new equipment and clothing. ter, The Pilkington-Lewis Squeeze Index) and Marcos • Irawati Yuniat, Indonesia (half registration) (Speleoli- white-nose syndrome (WNS) into Australia was re- Where possible loan equipment was provided Silverio (Methodological Planning for the Public Use thophones Gua Tabuhan, Traditional Music in Prehistoric cognized early in the Congress planning. Organisers for each excursion. We preferred participants bring Sites Gunung Sewu Karst Area) of Caves and Karst Based on Spatial Analysis). worked closely with the Chief Veterinary Officer and use new footwear only. Excursion leaders had • Eri Ando, Japan (Water Quality Evaluation of Chima- (CVO), the Federal Department of Agriculture and a supply of approved decontamination wipes for all The UIS provided registration scholarships to 8 chida Rimstone Pools in Akiyoshi Cave, Japan, Using Phy- participants at the ICS, 6 full registrations and 2 half sicochemical and Biological Index) Water Resources and Wildlife Health Australia in de- delicate equipment and disinfectant for boots. Parti- registrations (equivalent to 7 full registrations). • Eric Bontuyan, Philippines (The PSS and the 16th Year signing protocols and advice to Congress participants cipants reportedly complied willingly with our advice of the Annual Philippine National Cave Congress) to manage this risk. for equipment and clothing for the Field Excursions. These included: • Maria Jhonnie Villareal, Philipines (Permission for In- Wildlife Health Australia commissioned a re- Several papers on WNS were presented at the • Harrison Burkitt, Australia (did not present) ternational Visitors to Philippines) port on the risk of WNS fungus introduction to the Congress. In particular, Rick Toomey of Mammoth • Hilary Reinhart, Indonesia (Cave Exploration in San- • Gergard Du Preez, South Africa (The Gcwihaba Caves Rese- Australian cave dwelling bat populations in Austra- Cave, USA explained the protocols and experience gkulirang-Mangkalihat Peninsula, East Kalimantan, Indo- arch project: Past, Present and Future Research Undertakings). lia. This assisted the development of protocols, esta- of WNS arriving at the Park and the consequences nesia and Application Cave Ecosystem Profile of Anjani There were 3 additional UIS scholarships offe- blished for our strategies to prevent the introduction for Management and visitors. Wildlife Health Austra- Cave in Karst Jonggrangan, Central Java, Indonesia) red but recipients were unable to attend. of the fungus into Australia and New Zealand. lia sponsored a Veterinary Science student to survey WNS information and protocols were exten- Congress participants about their knowledge of the sively advertised via the Congress website, emails, white-nose syndrome and its affects on cave dwelling e-Bulletins, Congress Circulars and social media, in- bats. cluding a letter from the Australian Government CVO. The Congress provided a focus for the ASF, the The Field Excursion leaders and excursion Australian Government’s Department of Agricultu- participants were advised of WNS procedures. The re and Wildlife Health Australia to frame policies to overall strategy was informed by overseas experience protect the cave dwelling bats of Australia and New and was to minimize caving equipment and clothing Zealand from introduction of the fungus, currently from WNS infected Northern Hemisphere infected and into the future. areas into Australia or New Zealand. This was to only The ASF and ICS Organising Commission espe- bring the minimum required equipment as advised cially thank Nicholas White for his dedicated contri- for each excursion and that should include only clea- bution towards managing this complex issue.

Nivaldo Colzato Congress Venue and Facilities The 17th ICS was held at the Penrith Panthers lead off from a large open pre-function/break-out Events Centre which incorporates a world class con- area which was utilized for several social functions ference facility, sporting club and entertainment com- during the ICS. There was also a spacious separate Bo- plex. The Events Centre (conference facility) is located ard Room which was utilized by the UIS Bureau and on the second level and includes 5 session/lecture/ ICS organizing committee for their meetings. The ve- function rooms with theatre style seating capacities nue also operates two other separate function rooms CONGRESS KIT: Certificate of Attendance, congress satchel, ID badge, mid-week excursion control, ranging from 130 to 400 people. The 5 session rooms but these were not required for the congress event. and other materials of general information and publicity. http://penrith.panthers. com.au/event-centre/ ©

Outside view of the Penrith Panthers Events Centre, the venue of the 17th ICS. The place has been selected due to its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains and the Jenolan Caves, an ideal MERCHANDISE: A range of products with congress logo was available for order. base for technical tours during the congress.

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The Pre-Function Area (374 m2) was used

© for cocktails, conferences break-out and com.au/event-centre/ brief ceremonies, like the hoisting of the UIS http://penrith.panthers. flag at the beginning of the event (right), and informal parties (below). José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton EVAN THEATRE: Kyung Sik Woo, UIS President, talking at the opening session.

A large entertainment theatre (Evan Theatre) and merchandise. This exhibition pavilion also hou- José Ayrton Labegalini with state of the art audio visual equipment and tie- sed the guest feature exhibit (Sixteen Legs: Enter the red seating capacity for 800 people is located on the Cave Exhibition), the display of poster presentations, ground floor level of the venue and proved ideal for cartography and art competition entries and was the the opening session and plenary presentations held venue for the speleo sports competitions. on the Monday morning, 24 July. Several book launches were conducted and The registration desk was located in the foyer the congress banquet was also held in this exhi- of the main Panthers Events Centre. bition hall at the end of the ICS. An extra session The adjacent large 1,875 m2 Panther’s Exhibi- room was provided in the exhibition marquee which tion Marquee provided the ideal exhibition hall space allowed for a total of up to six ICS sessions to be run for vendors and exhibitors to display their exhibits concurrently. Nivaldo Colzato José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Nivaldo Colzato ©http://penrith.panthers.com.au/event-centre/ Nivaldo Colzato José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Reception desk in the entrance hall. Above, a general view of the Boardroom (78 m2), especially reserved for the UIS general activities(below) and meetings(left) . Janice March Janice Janice March Janice

Nivaldo Colzato AT THE EXHIBITION MARQUEE: Display of poster Arrigo Cigna (UIS Past President, presentations, cartography and art competition entries, Nivaldo Colzato José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Italy), signing certificates. and book launches, among other activities.

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The venue provided a wide range of food op- the Panthers club enjoyed a 10% discount on their Exhibitors and Vendors of the 17th ICS tions on site for meals to suit all tastes and partici- purchases of food and beverages. pants who signed up for temporary membership of Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato Janice March Janice Janice March Janice Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato At the venue, food and drinks to suit all tastes.

Exhibitors and Vendors

Sixteen exhibitors and vendor stalls were loca- • Crawford Hydrology Laboratory March Janice ted in the exhibition hall where vendors and caving • Institute of Karst Geology, China associations presented displays of their activities and • Caves of Siberia offered a range of speleological literature and mate- • Australian Speleological Federation / Karst Conserva- rials. A White Nose Syndrome (WNS) display stand tion Fund (ASF / KCF) and a display of the UIS special book prize entries • Sydney Speleological Society publications (SSS) were located in the main conference centre. • Confederation of Caving and Canyons, Spain (CEC) and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet • German Speleological Federation (VdHK) List of exhibitors and vendors: • French Federation of Speleology (FFS) • Weidmuller • National Speleological Society, USA (NSS) • Aspiring Safety Products • Bookend Trust (Guest exhibit, Sixteen Legs: Enter the • Speleobooks Cave exhibition) • Jenolan Caves Historical and Preservation Society • International Union of Speleology (UIS book award (JCH&PS) entries) • Fort Stanton Cave Study Project • Wildlife Health Australia and Faculty of Veterinary • 3D mapping of the Worlds Largest Caverns Sciences–University of Melbourne (WNS stall) Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato Janice March Janice Nivaldo Colzato

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Invited Guest Feature Exhibition: Publications postage at registrants own personal expense. Printing answers. Digital presentations were uploaded prior • Sixteen Legs: Enter the Cave Exhibition of hard copies is expensive in Australia. to each session. With the exception of a couple of In accordance with UIS protocols for ICS’s the Due to some unavoidable circumstances and small technical issues with audio visual facilities The ICS Organizing Commission invited the 17th ICS Organising Commission published the requi- some delayed submission of contributions, coupled and the delayed arrival of a couple of the presenters not for profit Bookend Trust (Pennicott Foundation) red ICS publications prior to the Congress. with the need to have the Proceedings available prior the whole week long program ran closely in accor- to bring their showcase travelling exhibition, Sixte- Three ICS Circulars were produced in electro- to the ICS, several paper presentations were missed dance with the schedule. Session Chairs exercised en Legs: Enter the Cave Exhibition, to the ICS as nic format and circulated to email contacts and pos- from the Proceedings. A revised complete version of good discipline in supervising the oral presenta- a guest feature exhibit. ted to the ICS website: Circular 1 (July 2015), Circu- the Proceedings has been compiled and is to be made tions’ schedule. The exhibition is set around the Tasmanian lar 2 (July 2016) and Circular 3 (May 2017). available for download from the 17th ICS website Contributions to the program included some cave spider (Hickmania troglodytes) and tells a story Publicity materials in the form of eBulletins 250 oral paper presentations and 60 posters presen- about caves, cave biology and the work behind fin- when completed. An email will be sent to all parti- and Facebook postings were produced. ding out what makes this unique subterranean envi- cipants when Edition 2 is available on the website. tations. Excursion Field Guides with excursion details ronment work. Hard copies will not be provided but the revised edi- and karst area description were produced for each tion will be available in both screen and print ready List of sessions were as follows: The Exhibition consisted of: pre and post-ICS field excursion with a hard copy in pdf. If a printed copy is required registrants can ar- • Archaeology and Paleontology in Caves A5 size format provided to all excursion participants. (i) 64 giant backlit panels representing a pho- range this at their own expense at cheaper overseas • Speleological research and activities in artificial un- tographic journey into the science and conservation The Conference Handbook (program guide) rates and save postage costs from Australia. The pdfs derground management of caves and groundwater, including was produced in hard copy A4 format and provided of Edition 2 will be provided for upload to the Karst • Australasian caves and karst the biology of the caves and the spider, to all Full ICS Registrants in their congress satchel. Information Portal. • Biospeleology, evolution, ecology and threats (ii) woven within these is the outline of the The Handbook consisted of 166 pages of text whi- • Karst and caves in carbonate rocks, salt and gypsum dark fairy-tale telling of this story, designed in colla- ch included general conference information, venue Congress Program - Scientific • Cave climate and paleoclimate record of the global change boration with Queensland artist Jodee Taylah and in- maps, the detailed session program timetable, a list • Cave monitoring workshop ternational best-selling author Neil Gaiman; of poster contributions and the basic (short) abstracts The scientific program was opened on the Mon- • Exploration and cave techniques (iii) the exhibition also included art works ins- of presentation contributions. day morning 24 July in the Panther’s ‘Evan Theatre’ • Extra-terrestrial caves and karst pired by the exhibition, and The peer-reviewed written extended abstract with a traditional acknowledgement of the indi- • Geomicrobiology of cave and karst environments (iv) 2 giant mating spider replicas with 18 foot contributions were published digitally in two volu- genous first Australians by the ICS President and a • History of speleology and karst research leg-spans on a giant web suspended from the roof mes of the Congress Proceedings. The ICS Procee- ‘Welcome to Country’ by a local indigenous repre- • Cave mineralogy of the exhibition area, and a giant egg-sac pulsating dings, totaling over 860 pages of text, figures and sentative. The program session official opening was with spider young. • Protection and management of karst, education pictures, were provided to all Full ICS Registrants on performed by the Honourable, Mr Shayne Mallard as • Modelling in karst and cave environments a USB flash drive in their congress satchels, avoiding a Member of the NSW Legislative Council and repre- • Karst, pseudokarst and caves in other rocks the need to transport the two volumes of bulky Pro- sentative of the NSW Government. • Sustainable development on karst ceedings home on flights or to arrange package and • Speleogenesis These official proceedings were followed by • Speleothem research three invited plenary lectures: • Karst and Cave Survey, Mapping and Data Processing i) Australian Karst - Caves in an Ancient • Volcanic caves Land, Associate Professor John Webb – Latrobe Uni- • Other topics (including areas with very small num- versity, Melbourne (VIC), bers of papers) ii) The Contribution of Cave Sites to the Understanding of Quaternary Australian Me- A number of UIS Departments, Commissions gafauna Records, Dr Liz Reed – University of Ade- and Working Groups organized meetings during the laide (SA), and iii) Cave Diving in Australasia, Ken Smith week of the Congress to discuss topics relative to (SA) – Cave Divers Association of Australia. their areas of interest and activities. Several interna- tional speleological federations also held meetings The scientific program was run over 5 days and during the ICS.

Janice March Janice divided into 21 thematically different session stre- ams. Many of the streams included more than one Congress Program – Salons session, with each chaired by a separate session con- The traditional variety of competitions were or- vener. Session conveners were invited from notable ganized and judged in conjunction with the ICS. The Janice March Janice Australian and international Congress participants. Art, Cartography and Photography Salons were jud- The 2 giants mating spider replicas for the showcase CONFERENCE HANDBOOK (program guide): Produ- The organisers thank all the session chairs who ged by teams of independent judges with expertise travelling exhibition “Sixteen Legs: Enter the Cave ced in hard copy A4 format and provided to all Full assisted so willingly. Presenters were allotted 20 mi- in those areas. Winners were announced at the ICS Exhibition” ICS Registrants in their congress satchel. nutes for a presentation, including questions and banquet held on the Friday evening of 28 July 2017.

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Photo Salon – Coordinator, Brian Evans Photo Salon – Coordinator, Brian Evans A total of 350 photo entries from 24 photographers with awards going to: A – CAVERS IN ACTION C – CAVES AND KARST FEATURES • BEST IN SHOW • CAVERS’ CHOICE Second: Greg Le Couteur Winner: Chris Howes Winner: Chris Howes - Bat flight from Deer Cave, Mulu Winner: Norman R. Thompson Garden of Edam Bat flight from Deer Cave, Mulu Crystaline lily pads, Grotta Gualtiero, Italy

B – BUGS, BEASTS OR BIOLOGY Second: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud Winner: Garry K. Smith Droplets on aragonite needles, France Hanging by a thread, Tasmania

Equal Second: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud Mystic vision, France Highly Commended: Chris Howes Crossing the river in Clearwater Cave

Second: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud A nice place to sleep when you are a bat Equal Second: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud A – CAVERS IN ACTION Yellow aragonite formations, France Winner: Chris Howes The Bridge Cave streamway, Wales, UK Highly Commended: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud Mystic vision, France

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Photo Salon – Coordinator, Brian Evans Art Salon Cartography Salon Coordinator, Jill Rowling Coordinator, Phil Maynard D – DREAMED, FANTASY OR SURREAL E – STORY SERIES Three entries were selected for an award: A total of 20 map entries submitted for judging Winner: Garry K. Smith Second: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud with awards going to: Below the forest Let it drop First: Jill Rowling Dragon Cave entrance – knitted shawl Winner: Bob Richard Second: Bob & Charlotte Ridges Leandras Cave Caving splendour - quilt Highly commended: Pat Kambesis Third: Jill Rowling Barrel Cave Stalagmites and stalactites – woven textile Highly commended: Tudor Tamas Krem Muhabon Cave Congress Program – Speleo Olympics Congress Program – The Speleo Olympics competition consisted of UIS General Assembly an individual 30 m timed prusik event and an obs- Two UIS General Assemblies were convened. Second: Garry K. Smith tacle course team event. Both events were run in The first was held on Sunday, 23 July, where reports Exploration of earth’s hidden gem the exhibition hall and attracted much interest from on the activities of the Bureau, UIS Departments, Com- F – FUN AND HUMOUR competitors and onlookers. Details of the results are: missions and Working Groups were presented, along Winner: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud OBSTACLE COURSE with a presentation from the next ICS bid proposal Beware of the cave monster Winning team: Team Boricuaje, Puerto Rico - 8:29 (See the Minutes on page 102). minutes The second UIS General Assembly was held on 30 m PRUSIK WINNERS Saturday 29 July (See the Minutes on page 103), Mens: Greg Thomas, Australia - 1:36.9 minutes where the new UIS Bureau was elected as follows: Womens: Luana Dwyer, Australia - 2:14.1 minutes Over 55 years: David Butler, Australia - 1:49.6 minutes President: George VENI (USA) Vice-President for Operations: Efraín Mercado (Puerto Rico) Vice-President for Administration: Zdeněk MOTYČKA (Czech Republic) Secretary General: Fadi NADER (Lebanon) E – STORY SERIES Treasurer: Winner: Phillippe Crochet & Annie Guiraud Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Slovenia) Adjunct Secretaries: 3N Cave: an Iranian salt cave Second: Garry K. Smith Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo COLZATO (Brazil) Back out in fresh air Mladen GARAŠIĆ (Croatia) Bernard CHIROL (France) Satoshi GOTO (Japan) Gyula HEGEDUS (Hungary) General view of the struc- Tim MOULDS (Australia) ture prepared for the Baerbel VOGEL (Germany) Speleo Olympics Honorary Presidents: competition (above), Paolo Forti (Italy) and one competitor Andrew Eavis (United Kingdom) in action (right). The next host country for the 18th International Congress of Speleology was confirmed as Lyon, Fran-

Janice March Janice ce in 2021.

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Congress Program – Social Wednesday 26 July 17th ICS Banquet Exhibition hall opened to the local general public: A busy social program was organized for regis- This was an opportunity for the Congress to interact trants and their partners during the ICS as follows: with the local Penrith community by opening the exhibition hall displays and Sixteen Legs guest fea- Sunday 23 July ture exhibition on the Wednesday evening to the ge- attended by over 400 Welcome cocktail party: neral public. congress participants Aussie Night Markets - Held adjacent to the exhi- bition hall on the Wednesday evening, this food ma- Monday 24 July Opening of the guest feature exhibit “Sixteen Legs: rket added to the local flavor of the ICS. Enter the Cave Exhibition” - Set in the exhibition hall, UIS party - organized by the UIS Bureau for invi- José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton

ted guests. Labegalini José Ayrton a showcase travelling educational exhibition of ca- Labegalini José Ayrton ves, cave biology and the work behind understan- Thursday 27 July ding this unique environment. Brought to the ICS by Australia Night party and auction: Fancy dress the not for profit organization, Bookend Trust. party in an Australian theme together with an auc- Held in a local restaurant Special Donors Dinner - tion of donated goods to raise money for the ASF’s and attended by 29 participants with guest speaker Karst Conservation Fund. A presentation on the next Steve Milner who captivated everyone with tales of ASF Biennial Conference to be held in Tasmania, Aus- the explorations of the Nullarbor cliffs spanning Sou- tralia was also featured. Labegalini José Ayrton th Australia and Western Australia. French Party - Organized by the French Federa- Friday 28 July tion of Speleology (FFS) for invited guests. ICS Banquet: attended by 345 participants with José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton entertainment provided by a local indigenous dance Tuesday 25 July Nivaldo Colzato Book launches: presented in the exhibition hall by group performing traditional songs and dances. Salon 5 authors. competition winners were announced and presented Special screening of the world acclaimed Sixteen with awards. The UIS also announced the traditional Legs documentary - A film about the sex life of the UIS Prizes (see special article on page 42) and a hi- Tasmanian cave spider, Hickmania troglodytes, the ghlight was the singing and guitar playing by outgoing last of an old Gondwanan lineage of spiders, nearest UIS President, Kyung Sik Woo, who contributed to the relatives are found in South America. friendly atmosphere on the night.

17th ICS Banquet José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet

Congress Program – including a walk across the iconic Sydney Harbour Accompanying Partners Bridge, lunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet followed by a visit to the magnificent Sydney Opera Nivaldo Colzato A program of interesting excursions were orga- House and Royal Botanical Gardens. nized for registrants’ accompanying partners not at- Thursday 27 July - A train trip to Katoomba in tending the ICS. Four separate day trips were run for the heart of the World Heritage listed Blue Moun- up to 21 participants during the week: tains National Park to visit Scenic World and the Ae- rial Skyway or just take in the fantastic panoramic Monday 24 July - A visit to the local Featherdale views. Wildlife Park to enjoy close-up encounters with a ran- ge of native Australian mammals, birds and reptiles. Friday 28 July - A historical tour of the nearby city of Parramatta and its commercial area, rich in history

Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet Labegalini José Ayrton Tuesday 25 July - A day beside Sydney Harbour, and a significant part of colonial New South Wales.

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Congress Field Excursions of activities and tourist cave tours. This caused much Pre and Post-ICS excursions number of ICS attendees unfortunately contracted anxiety for the Committee in the planning stages. a strain of influenza during the Congress, affecting Summary Multiple buses had to get to Jenolan on a very nar- These were categorized and labeled with some post-ICS field excursion participants and limi- The 17th ICS offered a range of pre and post-ICS row road which imposed severe time constraints. It letters, ‘B’ signifying pre (before) Congress and ‘A’ ting their caving enjoyment. Some of those affected excursions visiting varied karst and cave locations was also not unknown for the road to be cut by snow signifying post (after) Congress. With the ICS con- were still unwell for up to 2 – 3 weeks after the around Australia and New Zealand, endeavoring to in mid-winter; even worse if the group were stranded vened during the Southern Hemisphere winter, a Congress. provide a range of experiences to cater for the inte- at Jenolan and unable to return to their Congress ac- rests, budgets and styles of the people we anticipated commodation. would be coming to the ICS. In summary, a program As there was no possible Plan B it was a mat- of 27 pre and post-ICS excursions were prepared and ter of hoping for the best. As it turned out the Con- offered to ICS participants. gress had perfect weather for the week. So at a chilly Due to insufficient bookings 10 of these excur- 6:45 am on the Wednesday morning 149 of the 150 sions were cancelled in January 2017, leaving 17 pre participants booked for the excursion boarded the 5 and post-ICS excursions being run to karst regions coaches and were away by 7:00 am. Once at Jenolan throughout Australia and New Zealand, attended by there was a very busy schedule for tours. There were 198 participants. Special excursion field guides were three cello performances held in the Cathedral Cave prepared with excursion details and karst area des- as part of the program during the day. The staff at cription for each pre and post-ICS excursion; excur- Jenolan did a marvellous job on the day, many taking sion participants each received a copy at the start of holiday time off for this event. their field excursion trip. (The person who missed the Jenolan trip advised In addition, four mid-week excursions were that he was so excited about the trip that he had very offered on the Wednesday (26 July) of the Congress. little sleep the night before. He went to sleep on the The Wednesday mid-week excursions were attended train and missed the Penrith Station. When he finally by 249 participants. arrived at Panthers he had to make do with the Excur- sion to the Australian Museum). Alternative Wednesday excursions included Wednesday Congress a bush walk in the Blue Mountains National Park, Excursions a Blue Mountains dry canyon trip, or a visit to the Australian Museum in the centre of Sydney where a A tradition for a UIS International Congress special program had been arranged for the Congress is the mid-week excursions. The majority of partici- group. This is Australia’s oldest museum and has an pants on the mid-week (Wednesday) excursions visi- international reputation in the fields of natural his- ted the world-renowned Jenolan Caves for a variety tory and anthropology. List of excursions offered for the 17th ICS.

B – PRE-ICS EXCURSIONS Below are listed all field excursions which were The caves are syngenetic in nature, being for- run pre-congress: med at the water table during the lithification pro- cess of calcareous dunes, and are relatively young (<500,000 years). B1.MR - Margaret River Caving Basic vertical caving and ladder skills only were Caves, beaches and forests required. Accommodation was provided at a caving Western Australia club hut in the forest with basic facilities. The trip ran José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton The Margaret River region is about a three from Monday 17 July to Friday 21 July (5 days). hour drive south of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is well-known for its forests, world- -class caves, beaches and wineries. While some ca- ves require SRT to enter them, most of the caves are horizontal in nature and can generally be completed in a few hours, so several caves can be visited each day depending on individual trip leaders and partici- Circular Nivaldo Colzato nd José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton pants. Excellent opportunities and time was availa- ble for photography in many caves, and also above- Wednesday Congress -ground. The caves are dry so participants do not get © 17 ICS 2 Excursion to Jenolan Caves Labegalini José Ayrton wet underground.

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B5.YB - Yarrangobilly Caves B8.CC - Cliefden Caves and Fossil Site Kosciuszko National Park New South Wales New South Wales With over 60 recorded caves, all on private exception of one which involved a short ladder pitch Caves at Yarrangobilly are among the longest, window or from the verandahs. Yarrangobilly is a property, Cliefden Caves is one of the most caver- just inside the entrance. Some squeezing was invol- deepest and most spectacular in south-eastern Aus- beautiful, natural area above and below ground. nous limestone areas in New South Wales. The ca- ved and a couple of the caves had areas with lots of tralia, renowned for their extensive and delicate de- This field excursion catered for all levels of caving ves are extremely well decorated in places and some mud. coration. This rugged limestone area is hidden wi- experience. Leaders for this trip were experienced contain rare blue speleothems. Cliefden Caves have Five participants joined this excursion, inclu- thin tall eucalypt forests of Kosciuszko National Park cavers from the Metropolitan Speleological Society been ranked among the 70 most significant fossil ding from USA x 1, Papua New Guinea x 1, Nether- in southern New South Wales, and is the premier Inc (MSS) and the Canberra Speleological Society sites in Australia. The caves and fossil sites have re- lands x 1 and Australia x 2. Accommodation was sub-alpine caving area on the Australian mainland. Inc (CSS) who are very familiar with the area. cently been listed on the NSW State Heritage Re- provided in rustic disused shearers‘ quarteres on Participants visited a representative selection The trip ran from Monday 17 July to Saturday gister, which affords the caves a level of statutory one of the private farms. of wild caves in the area, experiencing large, highly 22 July (6 days). protection. This was a short 4 day excursion from Friday 14 decorated chambers, underground rivers, fossil stre- All the caves visited were horizontal with the July to Monday 17 July. am passages, a few short crawls as well as scrambles over and through large breakdown blocks. Special trips were also arranged into the show caves in the area. BOONDEROO CAVE All participants were accommodated in the historic and recently refurbished Caves House, an ideal base for relaxation and enjoying nature, inclu- Circular ding close-up views of local wildlife. After caving, nd participants were able to take a hot shower, relax in the comfortable lounges of Caves House, swim in John Brush the nearby open-air thermal pool, look for platypus © 17 ICS 2 in the river or watch kangaroos from your bedroom Caves House Yarrangobilly, excursion accommodation TAPLOW MAZE CAVE ACCOMMODATION

A taste of Australia BOONDEROO CAVE B6.SKC - Photos by The karst and caves of southern New South Wales MAIN CAVE MAIN CAVE George Veni A seven day excursion visiting a variety of cave, also visited. Participants enjoyed some outstanding karst and other geological sites in southern New scenic coastal sites near Wollongong and visited the South Wales, including an interpretive guided walk, World Heritage listed Blue Mountains. beautiful beaches, spectacular coastal scenery, the This trip was suited to those wanting to see a Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, geology of the variety of bush, cave, mountain and coastal environ- Sydney basin, three regional cities and more. ments in southern NSW. There was plenty of walking There were lots of places to experience the Aus- and activity but no need to be super fit. tralian bush and its unique vegetation and wildlife. No crawling or helmets were required on the Included was an overnight at the Wombeyan Caves cave trips and there was plenty of time for sight- Reserve where participants saw kangaroos and other -seeing and photography. wildlife close to their accommodation. Bungonia Ca- This trip ran from Monday 17 July to Sunday 23 TRAPDOOR CAVE TRAPDOOR CAVE ves, Wee Jasper Caves and Abercrombie Caves were July 2017 (7 days).

ABERCROMBIE CAVES Circular nd

www.visitnsw.com TAPLOW MAZE CAVE © © 17 ICS 2 TAPLOW MAZE CAVE TRAPDOOR CAVE

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B9.PK - Palaeokarst and per-ascensum B13.CHC - Chillagoe Caves caves in the Lachlan Fold Belt Far north Queensland New South Wales The trip commenced from the tropical coastal city hours allowing a second cave to be visited or other of Cairns where there was the option to spend a few activity. The caves feature a variety of life including This was a trip for serious scientists. The par- days before the trip enjoying the adjacent World Herita- echo-locating swiftlets, bats, snakes and insects. ticipants visited and discussed at length classic in- -cave palaeokarst localities and ancient multi-phase ge area of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics. There was a wide number of caving options caves at Wellington, Borenore, Jenolan, Wombeyan There was an early morning mini-bus pick- and participants were split into groups according to and Bungonia. The excursion involved mostly show -up for transport to Chillagoe followed by two and a level of proficiency, fitness and caving experience. Circular caves with some off-track visits and easy caving at nd half days of caving at Chillagoe and return mini-bus Trip commenced Tuesday 18 July and concluded Bungonia. transport to Cairns on the third afternoon. Chillagoe Thursday 20 July (3 days). The trip ran over 8 days from Sunday 16 July to is a small outback mining town of about 300 people, Sunday 23 July. © 17 ICS 2 about 230 km west of Cairns. The Chillagoe tower karst comprises nearly 600 documented entrances and the caves vary in di- show which is held in an amphitheatre overlooking fficulty from easy mostly horizontal to difficult SRT. B11.HS - Highlights of Sydney Very few are straight walk easy ‘walk-ins’. There was New South Wales the harbour. The second day included a visit to the Austra- usually some climbing, use of wire ladders and sque- Circular

ezing and crawling in dust (as it is the dry season). nd This excursion was all about enjoying the fa- lian Museum to see the First Australians Galleries The more difficult caves required use of specialist te- bulous sights and interesting places in the centre of and Mineral Exhibition, followed by a visit to Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens, a walk around the Ope- chnical equipment and needed a reasonable standard Sydney, before the start of the Congress. There was © 17 ICS 2 of fitness. Most cave visits took between four to six a full day at Taronga Zoo, one of Sydney’s top at- ra House and a visit to the historic Rocks area. tractions, including a guided tour of the Australian This was a two-day excursion with participants animal section and the opportunity to see the Birds organising their own accommodation and transport to the meeting places. There were many accommodation B15.JC - Jenolan Caves of Australia presentation. The ferry trip to Taronga New South Wales Zoo and return allowed participants to enjoy Sydney options in the central Sydney area for participants. Harbour from the water including close up views of This trip was run on Friday 21 July and Satur- Jenolan Caves is believed the world’s oldest, other parts of the caving program. the Sydney Opera House. day 22 July. known and dated, open cave system. The cave ne- A moderate level of fitness was required. An Arriving at Taronga Zoo, the group took the ae- twork has over 40 kilometres of multi-level passages average day of activities involved six to eight hours of rial Sky Safari ride high over the Zoo grounds to the with more than 300 entrances and 11 show caves. mostly horizontal caving. Two of the days had a mor- top entrance. From the gondolas there was a bird’s- The caves are located within the Jenolan Karst Con- ning then afternoon activity and participants could -eye view of some zoo inhabitants. An expert gui- servation Reserve in the Blue Mountains World He- choose to only complete the morning portion of the de lead everyone on the Australian Walkabout tour ritage Area and are about a three hour bus trip west day if preferred. Some of the caves have reasonably where participants discovered the fascinating world of the ICS venue. The caves are set in a picturesque confined spaces. of the kangaroo, echidna, wallaby, koala, Australian valley surrounded by limestone cliffs, spectacular ar- The trip ran from Tuesday 18 July to Saturday birds and more. The wonder of a Blue Mountains ches and caves. 22 July (5 days). sandstone gorge has been recreated at the platypus The group traveled by private bus from Penrith pools, where there are over 40 species of Australian with stops en route to Jenolan at some lesser kno- animals and the ‘dinosaur tree’; the Wollemi Pine. wn Blue Mountains areas. Caving included some of After this tour there were options to decide Jenolan’s first tourist caves (now used for adventure tourism), exploring some of the larger underground which sections of the zoo you want to see. There AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM © https://australianmuseum.net.au/ were expert talks available throughout the day, inclu- systems and a day walking the karst. ding the popular seal show and the Australian bird The final morning was set aside for partici- pants to visit the show caves. Entrance fees were not included in the excursion price. Participants who wi- RIVER CAVE/JENOLAN CAVES shed to see more of the show caves could elect to skip © http://www.jenolancaves.org.au CAVING ACCIDENT – PRE-ICS Although not an ICS excursion, a priva- resulted in a dramatic 12 hour rescue and night te caving trip was organised to Tasmania for evacuation by helicopter to hospital followed Circular nd a couple of ICS registrants before the start of by an emergency operation. The injured caver the Congress. A female Swiss caver broke a leg was able to attend the last couple of days of the © https://www.google.com.br OPERA HOUSE AND HARBOUR BRIDGE © 17 ICS 2 TARONGA ZOO after a fall in a vertical multi pitch cave. This Congress on crutches.

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A – POST-ICS EXCURSIONS A5.CHC - Chillagoe Listed below are all excursions run post-Congress: Far north Queensland Photos by George Veni

A3.CC - Cliefden Caves and Fossil Site This was a repeat of the pre Congress excursion, com- hours allowing a second cave to be visited or New South Wales mencing from the tropical coastal city of Cairns. other activity. The caves feature a variety of life There was an early morning mini-bus pick-up for trans- including echo-locating swiftlets, bats, snakes This trip was an extended version of the pre- which allowed for a cave to be visited in the morning port to Chillagoe followed by two and a half days of caving and insects. -congress Cliefden field excursion. Mostly horizontal and another in the afternoon on most days. at Chillagoe and return mini-bus transport to Cairns on the There was a wide number of caving op- caves were visited with one vertical option offered to This excursion was joined by 9 participants, third afternoon. Chillagoe is a small outback mining town of tions and participants were split into groups participants. Some squeezing and mud was involved. two from Greece, two from Slovakia, three from USA about 300 people, about 230 km west of Cairns. according to level of proficiency, fitness and Day visits were arranged to other nearby karst areas and two from Australia. Accommodation was provi- The Chillagoe tower karst comprises nearly 600 do- caving experience. of Walli Caves and the Borenore Karst Conservation ded in the rustic disused shearers‘ quarteres on one of cumented entrances and the caves vary in difficulty from This trip commenced Tuesday 1 August Reserve. There was also a visit on one afternoon to the private farms in the area. easy mostly horizontal to difficult SRT. Very few are straight and concluded Thursday 3 August (3 days). the Age of Fishes Museum in nearby Canowindra This trip was run over 8 days from Monday 31 walk easy ‘walk-ins’. There was usually some climbing, use with its impressive displays of Devonian fish fossils, July to Monday 7 August. of wire ladders and squeezing and crawling in dust (as it discovered in the local area. is the dry season). The more difficult caves required use With over 60 recorded caves, all located on pri- of specialist technical equipment and needed a reasonable vate property, Cliefden Caves is one of the most ca- standard of fitness. Most cave visits took between four to six vernous limestone areas in New South Wales. The ca- ves are extremely well decorated in places and some contain rare blue speleothems. Cliefden Caves have been ranked among the 70 most significant fossil sites in Australia. The caves and fossil sites have recently Circular nd been listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, whi- GENERAL KARST ch affords the caves a level of statutory protection. Cave visits ranged from 2 hours to 4 hours, © 17 ICS 2

AA4.JC - Jenolan Caves New South Wales

Jenolan Caves is believed the world’s oldest, and a little mud was involved on some trips. Partici- known and dated, open cave system. The cave ne- pants could opt out of any days planned activities to re- twork has over 40 kilometres of multi-level passages lax or visit a guided show cave (at additional expense). with more than 300 entrances and 11 show caves. Accommodation was provided at the dormitory The caves are located within the Jenolan Karst Con- style backpacker lodge (the Gate House), which had servation Reserve in the Blue Mountains World He- bunk beds with four or six persons per room. Parti- TREZKINN CAVE TREZKINN CAVE ROCK ART ritage Area and are about a three hour bus trip west cipants had the option to upgrade their accommoda- of the ICS venue. The caves are set in a picturesque tion at their own cost. valley surrounded by limestone cliffs, spectacular ar- The trip ran from Sunday, 30 July till Saturday ches and caves. 5 August (7 days). A7.NP - Nullarbor Plain, Bunda Cliffs The half-day journey to Jenolan Caves inclu- South Australia ded stops at the famed lookouts at the Three Sisters speleological expeditions at the Bunda Cliffs, on the and Govetts Leap. The excursion included four days This excursion was for pre-approved skilled Great Ocean Bight, at the edge of the Nullarbor Plain; of wild caving trips, with an optional vertical caving vertical cavers only. The Nullarbor Plain is one of a 173 kilometre long cliff-face reaching up to 100 me- trip on one of the days which required a good level of the world’s largest single exposures of limestone and tres above the sea. A major expedition was planned stamina and rope skills to participate The Wednesday is about 200,000 square kilometres in area. It is re- for August 2017, following the 17th ICS, involving was a free day for participants to pursue activities as mote, flat, almost treeless, semi-arid country, has no bush camping in a very remote area. The camp was

they choose (show caves, walking, photography and Circular towns and only a handful of small settlements with located close to the cliffs, approximately 100 kilome- nd just enjoying the tranquil Jenolan environment at very limited facilities. tres east of the border between South Australia and your own pace). There were options for participants In recent years, the Cave Exploration Group of Western Australia and approximately 1200 kilometres to choose horizontal trips each day. A few squeezes © 17 ICS 2 South Australia (CEGSA) has conducted a series of from Adelaide, the nearest major city.

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The expedition involved descending the cliffs The Bunda Cliffs are in an area of outstanding A10.UL - Uluru and Central Australia to enter unexplored target caves; close to sea level natural beauty and there was always opportunity for Northern Territory and mid-cliff. The caves above sea level are usually photography, bird watching, whale/dolphin/seal wa- dry; around 18° C. When working underground, the tching, etc. There was also an opportunity to engage This trip was provided by a commercial outba- ve trip, with plenty of walking, and with good vanta- caves are a very pleasant temperature. Cotton-type with the local indigenous community on the expedi- ck camping and touring company Wayoutback Aus- ge points to enjoy sunset and sunrise at Uluru. overalls are generally adequate for caving. tion. tralian Safaris, a highly reputable company providing The tour ran from Sunday 30 July to Friday 4 The descent of the cliffs can be hazardous, but The expedition was run from Sunday 30 July till tour services for National Geographic. Bookings and August (6 days). safe when undertaken with due care. A very high de- 12 August (14 days). payment for this optional tour were made direct with gree of vertical caving competency was essential and the tour operator. references to confirm this competency were required. The splendid monolith of Uluru (formerly kno- Members of the expedition, were expected to wn as Ayers Rock) was a feature of the trip. In kee- fully and enthusiastically contribute to the discovery, ping with the wishes of the local indigenous people, exploration and record-keeping (including photogra- who own the land, our group did not climb the rock. phy and mapping) of caves which had never been As well there was a visit to the cultural centre at Ulu- Circular explored before. There was little shelter from the ru to learn about local traditions. nd weather at the camp site and conditions proved un- Circular Kata Tjuta, Curtain Springs, Kings Creek Sta- nd comfortable at times. Participants on the excursion tion, Watarrka (Kings Canyon), Redbank Gorge, Glen ULURU, WORLD’S LARGEST MONOLITH © 17 ICS 2 were exposed to strong winds and cold overnight Helen and the Henbury Meteorite Cra- temperatures. © 17 ICS 2 ter were all visited. Participants slept in outback camps, enjoying campfires and star-filled skies. There was a visit to the Oak Val- A9.NC - Naracoorte Caves, fossils, and are the same megafauna that are found at Broken ley Aboriginal Community to see an- the Great Ocean Road River, Queensland. cient rock art paintings and carvings South Australia and Victoria A highlight of the trip was the mystery dinner. and gain a personal experience of the The area is an up and coming wine producer much understanding the owners have of this This excursion was a high-end, all-inclusive ex- like the nearby Coonawarra. Trip participants were remote environment. This was an acti- KINGS CREEK STATION http://www.kingscreekstation.com.au/ cursion to give participants an insight into the Nara- driven in the dark into a vineyard and then walked coorte Caves World Heritage Site, including ongoing down rough stone steps into a hole in the ground. research and provide an opportunity to meet some of This led to about 100m of passage that opened into a chamber set up for a banquet. This venue is used the researchers working there and view their labo- A11.WV - Waitomo and Volcanoes by the major winemaker Treasury Estates for VIP din- ratories, plus get access to view the extensive fossil North Island, New Zealand ners. The winemaker described the areas wines whi- VOLCANIC AREA OF TAUPO-RUAPEHU collections held at the South Australian Museum. ch we sampled. On another night, overseas visitors New Zealand cavers offered three consecutive The field component included visiting fossil si- were thrilled to see a very large Echidna (Australian excursions that linked together, so you could choose tes within the caves at Naracoorte and karst and vol- spiny anteater) at their accommodation. to select any one, two or all of the excursions. canic features in the broader Limestone Coast region. Then it was off to Mt Gambier to look at the The first trip was based at Waitomo for four The excursion also included a scenic tour along the famous sink holes, a mecca for cave divers. Overnight days and then traveled south down the North Island, Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s great scenic was at Warrnambool. The final day was the tourist via the volcanic area of Taupo–Ruapehu to Welling- coastal drives. drive along the scenic Great Ocean Road to end up ton. From Wellington the ferry connected partici- Leaders Steve Bourne and Dr Liz Reed have in Melbourne. pants with the second excursion on the South Island. been extensively involved in research and manage- This trip was run from Monday 31 July to Friday The cost of this excursion included group transport. ment at Naracoorte Caves for several decades. Liz is 4 August (5 days). There was a range of accommodation and meal op- the Chief Scientist at Naracoorte Caves. The nine par- © https://www.newzealand.com ticipants came from Germany, Italy, New Zealand and tions in Waitomo so participants could choose what Australia. At the South Australian Museum partici- suited their style and budget. The local organisers pants were shown some of the extensive fossil collec- were well-acquainted with all the local options and tion. At the University the complicated thermo-lumi- were happy to assist participants with accommoda- nesce dating process was explained. It is no wonder tion options. that the tests cost $ 2000 each. Two options were available on each of the first

Circular four days (Tuesday to Friday). These included either

Participants then drove to Naracoorte for a 3 nd night stay. Two days were spent being shown the wild caves or show caves/karst walks. many fossil deposits in the caves. There are hundreds The trip was run from Monday 31 July to Sun- © https://www.newzealand.com of years of work ahead of the palaeontologists. Many © 17 ICS 2 day 6 August (7 days). WAITOMO CAVES

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A12.NL - Nelson Cancelled Excursions South Island, New Zealand Excursions which did not proceed due to insu- fficient bookings included: Nelson was the second of the three NZ excur- further one hours drive to the west of Takaka Hill. sions and followed on from the A11.WV (North Is- Golden Bay has diverse karst areas ranging from sub- B2.MC - Mole Creek caving and Cradle Mountain, B10.WO - Wombeyan Caves land) excursion. You could either join this excursion tropical forest, to coastal and steep hill country. The Tasmania New South Wales limestone caves here tended to be horizontal. as an extension of A11.WV or make your own way to B3.IB - Vertical Caving at Ida Bay, B14.AC - Arts and Caves Nelson to meet on the evening of Sunday 6 August. The excursion commenced with one night in Tasmania Tasmania The Nelson excursion linked to the third New Zea- Nelson, followed by two nights on Takaka Hill and land excursion (A13.WCK). two nights in Golden Bay. Up to three options were B4.JF - Vertical Caving in the Junee–Florentine, A1.MC - Mole Creek caving and Cradle Mountain, The Nelson excursion introduce participants to available each day with participation dependent on pe- Tasmania Tasmania the different Nelson karst areas and a variety of caves oples skills and physical capability for the excursion. B7.BM - Blue Mountains Canyons, A2.SKC - The karst and caves of southern New to suit their ability. The excursion began with one ni- The trip was run from Sunday 6 August to Friday New South Wales South Wales ght in Nelson, followed by two nights on Takaka Hill 11 August (6 days). B12.BCK - Buchan Caves and Karst and two nights in Golden Bay. There were talks and A6.ND - Nullarbor Diving, Victoria Western Australia presentations introducing the Nelsons karst. The Nelson karst contains the deepest and lon- gest cave systems in New Zealand. Every year a sig- Conclusion nificant amount of new caves and passages are disco- vered. Due to it being winter it was not practical to The organization of the 17th International the ICS organization, technical and social program

Circular Congress of Speleology in Penrith (western Sydney) visit any alpine cave systems. The Takaka Hill is the nd and field excursions met all expectations and was closest karst to Nelson, approximately one hours dri- Australia involved several years of planning by a well appreciated by all participants. ve away. Takaka Hill marble contains extensive cave dedicated team of volunteers from around Austra- A full and rich program of events was provi- systems to a depth of 400 metres. Golden Bay is a © 17 ICS 2 lia. This process commenced on 12 March 2012 ded during the week long Congress, together with with a Notification of Intention of proposal to Host a varied and exciting range of field excursion op- IUS Congress of Speleology in 2017 (letter of intent portunities for registrants, before, during and af- to UIS President) from the Australian Speleologi- ter the ICS. These ICS’s convened by the UIS are A13.WCK - West Coast Caves re relocating to the town of Kumara for the final night. Options cal Federation Inc (ASF). This was followed by a arguably the most significant singular world event and Karst were offered for trips to the classic caves of the Charleston and formal bid proposal presented at the 16th ICS in which contributes much to the furtherance of spe- South Island, New Zealand Punakaiki areas (four to six hours underground each day); or Brno, Czech Republic in July 2013 by an Australian leology on the world stage through the presenta- surface karst, interpretive walks and sight-seeing of the exci- delegation (ICS Bid Committee representatives). tion of the latest discoveries and scientific findings This was the third of a series of post- ting West Coast landscape. The bid proposal was subsequently accepted at the at each ICS and the 17th ICS has successfully conti- -congress excursions in New Zealand that There was also the option for a tour of the cave used UIS General Assembly meeting of world delegates, nued this tradition. were run consecutively. The excursion by Nor West Adventures, which could suit most people. The held in Brno on 28 July 2013 (Second Session). We again thank all our partners, sponsors followed on from the A12.NL (Nelson) ex- final days trip from Kumara to Christchurch included time to The Australian Speleological Federation, and supporting organizations for their generous cursion and you could either join this West stop and investigate the Flock Hill syncline and its intriguing as the host organization, established an internal financial, material and in-kind support and contri- Coast excursion as an extension of A12.NL boulder-field. Commission (the 17th ICS Organizing Commission) bution towards the success of the Congress. or make your own way to Nelson to meet This trip was run from Friday 11 August to Tuesday 15 to handle all aspects of the ICS organization and As President of the 17th ICS Organizing Com- on the morning of Friday 11 April. August (5 days). conduct under a set of Terms of Reference. The or- Participants visited the Paparoa Natio- mission and on behalf of the ASF let me convey a th nal Park, New Zealand’s largest limestone ganization of the 17 ICS closely followed the UIS final thank you to all those who personally contri- reserve, with original vegetation cover over ‘Instructions and Recommendations for Organisers of buted voluntarily to the assessment and review of most of the limestone landscape. Options International Congresses of Speleology (ICS).’ papers and poster contributions, to the many field included caving trips, surface karst walks We can confidently state from feedback recei- excursion coordinators and their support teams, and interpretation tours. There were talks ved during and since the conclusion of the event, and in particular, to all members of the ICS organi- and presentations to introduce the West Co- the 17th ICS was a success. In terms of member- zing team who over the past few years have sacri- ast caves and karst. Examples of the proto- ship, the ASF may be considered a small national ficed tens or hundreds of hours of personal time at speleological federation on world standards, so it -karst landscape of the dry, eastern South Circular the expense of their own activities and their fami- Island were visited on the Tuesday. nd is particularly noteworthy that we acknowledge lies for the success of the 17th ICS. The tour was based in Charleston un- the dozens of volunteers who worked extremely til the morning of Monday 14 August, befo- Neil Silverwood © 17 ICS 2 hard and contributed to this success. All aspects of

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For the category 4.a (“The most significant dis- For the categories 4.b and 4.c (Books), the covery/exploration”) we received two nominations. following items were considered: Regarding to the categories 4.b (“The most - Overview & Organization significant publication about caves or a karst-related - The adequacy of the images and text topic”) and 4.c (“Special Book”) besides the nomina- - Graphic quality (design) tion by the internet a copy of the printed book was - Originality requested to be mailed to Julia James’s home address - Content PRIZES in Sydney, Australia. - Relevance of the publication The author(s) agreed that the books would be - Writing quality By Nivaldo Colzato (Brazil), exhibited during the 17th ICS and would be sent to - Scientific quality - Interdisciplinarity Chairman of the Organizing Committee the UIS Library in La Chaux-des-Fonds, Switzerland, after the event. - Readability for the non-specialist reader UIS Adjunct Secretary A total of 16 nominations were received for the - Importance for the Speleology [email protected] above categories. As three of them were not “physi- - General mark for the publication cally” present during the congress, only thirteen were Each scientist received paper forms with the very four years the UIS gives prizes at the In- According to internal agreement among the considered for the prize. above 12 items where they could rate each one on ternational Congress of Speleology (ICS) for three members of the Organizing Committee, Jean- For the category 4.d (“Poster Prize”) we didn’t a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, as well as to write specific accomplishments at the congress or -Pierre took care personally of this category, since the have nominations but only judgment by the Scientific down personal comments about the publication itself. th during the period since the previous congress. nominations until the selection of experts for judgment. Committee (“Best Scientific Poster”) and votes by the The organization of the 17 ICS provided a ta- E visitors of the 17th ICS (“Caver’s Prize”). ble where the 13 books were displayed for the appre- These prizes are non-competitive and not related to the cartographic, photographic, athletic, or other 4.b – The most significant publication about caves This category was represented by 60 entries, ciation by the general public as well as direct access competitions at the congresses. or a karst-related topic although 40 was actually displayed for appreciation of the scientists at the most appropriate time for each The UIS Prizes were introduced by the Organi- Scientific and/or technical publications were and judgment. one. The table was located at the entrance of the main zing Committee of the 11th ICS in China (1993) and considered for this prize. hall of the event, just beside the UIS Meeting Room. formally accepted by the UIS Bureau at the 12th ICS REVIEW AND JUDGMENT Regarding the category of posters (4.d), the in Switzerland (1997). Since then the organization 4.c – Special Book Regarding to the Judging Committee, an in- scientists also evaluated the entries according to their was in charge of Julia James (Australia, UIS President Prize for books that don’t have special scientific con- ternational team of renowned scientists of the karst availability throughout the event. 1993-1997). For the edition 2017, during the UIS an- tents, however are important speleological publications. studies, also involved with the national speleological As we had only two nominations for the cate- nual meeting in Dalesbridge, UK, August 2016, the associations in their countries and having close rela- gory of discovery/exploration (4.a) and the commit- UIS Bureau elected a new Committee, which counted 4.d – Poster Prize tionship with the UIS itself was invited to take care tee elected by Jean-Pierre considered both as outs- also on the collaboration of Julia. It was composed by: Prize for the best poster displayed at the ICS, of the long work of reviewing each nomination, ap- tanding, they just decided the winner and the other - Nivaldo Colzato (Brazil) divided in two categories, as follows: plying marks and judge them due to select the winners. was awarded as Honorable Mention. Chairman, UIS Adjunct Secretary – Best Scientific Poster – Judged by a Scientific Com- All seven scientists who formed the Judging To align all the whole work of organization and - Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns (Belgium) mittee composed of international experts. Committee were present at the congress. The majo- judgment of the UIS Prizes 2017 three meetings were UIS Adjunct Secretary – Caver’s Prize – The best poster in the opinion of rity belongs to the Scientific Committee of the UIS. held during the congress at the UIS Room, when all - José Ayrton Labegalini (Brazil) the visitors to the poster display. The poster could be The criteria adopted for review as well as the involved people could express their opinion about the UIS Past President about any cave or any karst-related topic. Entries in logistics that would permit all scientists to have direct general process and the scientists were able to discuss The first action of the new committee was to the cave photographic and surveying competitions access to all nominations was discussed and defined about the “candidates” before to elect the winners. create the email address [email protected] were not considered for this prize. among the scientists themselves and the Organizing in order to concentrate all electronic communication Committee. related to the process. NOMINATIONS When categories and rules were defined, a let- CATEGORIES ter of invitation for nominations was published on The next step was to define the categories for the UIS Website as well as the Speleo 2017 e-Bulletin. awards as well as the general rules for nominations Besides that, it was sent by email to the whole and judgment. For the UIS Prizes 2017, four catego- mailing list of the UIS, which covers all the Commis- ries were considered: sions and Working Groups, National Associations and publications of the 54 Member Countries, National 4.a – The most significant discovery/exploration Delegates, and Regional Federations. Judged by a committee of international spe- All recipients were also encouraged to distribu- leologists familiar with exploration throughout the te the letter to their whole personal contacts in their Nivaldo Colzato Nivaldo Colzato world, this category could have also an Honorable countries and their local communities. The intention Mention, if more than one nomination was outstan- was to have the letter accessed by a largest possible The thirteen books displayed on the table for free appreciation by the ding enough. number of speleologists and cavers all over the world. general public as well as the Judging Committee.

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RECOGNITION Category 4.c - Special Book The main recognition delivered to the winners was the official certificate of the UIS signed by the CAVES outgoing UIS President Kyung Sik Woo (Republic of Exploring Korea). Besides that, some of the awarded also recei- New Zealand’s ved money, as described further on this report. Subterranean Marcus Wilderness Thomas, PRESENTATION one of the The awarding ceremony of the UIS Prizes 2017 Marcus Thomas authors, was on Saturday 29th July during the Closing Ban- and Neil Silverwood, during the quet of the 17th ICS, in Sydney, Australia. The presen- authors Book Launching tation was led by Nivaldo Colzato and illustrated by Recognition: Certificate, 100 Euros in cash and Ceremony Phillip Crochet and Annie Gehard Phillip Crochet a sequence of slides summarizing the categories and the book FIFTY YEARS OF THE UIS-1965-2015, of the 17th ICS all awarded nominations. José A. Labegalini by José A. Labegalini. The certificates and the money of the two pri- From left to right: Kyung Sik Woo, Julia James, zes that didn’t have representatives during the cere- Nivaldo Colzato and Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns For both categories 4.b, and 4.c, Honorable Mentions went to: mony were delivered after the congress. during the presentation of the UIS Prizes 2017

Guia de Boas Práticas Category 4.b Ambientais na Mineração PRIZES The most significant publication about caves de Calcário em Áreas FINAL RESULT or a karst-related topic Cársticas Guidebook of Good Environmental Practices in Category 4.a the Quarrying of Limestone The most significant discovery/exploration Microbial Life in Karst Areas of Cave Systems Luis Enrique Sánchez Perovo-Speleo T​eam, and Heros Augusto Santos Lobo, José A. Labegalini from Moscow, Russia organizers Represented by Pavel Demidov Annette Summers Elvira Branco (Brazil), on the right, for ​the ​last 4 expeditions to Veryovkina Cave Engel, editor Recognition: Certificate receiving the prize on behalf of the (West Caucasus, Abkhazia, Gagra Region). organizers of the Brazilian book The depth of the cave was 420 m and now it is 1.832 m. It is actually the second world’s deepest cave​!​ Recognition: Certificate, 100 Euros and to Recognition: Certificate and 200 Euros in cash. in cash and a book Note of Editor: since August 2017 Verëvkina became FIFTY YEARS OF THE the world’s deepest cave - see special article on Page 49) UIS-1965-2015, by Reisen ins Unterirdische José A. Labegalini. For this category 4.a, an Honorable Mention Travelling into the went to Krzysztof Starnawski and his team, for the Underground – (Hůrka u Hranic diving work done in Hranická Propast A Cultural History of National Reserve, Czech Republic) th on September 27 , Cave Research in Austria 2016, when reached 404 meters, making the cave the through the Interwar Years in deepest known underwater cave on Earth. an International Context The discovery was made using a remotely ope- rated underwater vehicle, with Starnawski personally Annette Engel, Johannes Mattes, preparing the route for the robot down to approx. author

editor of the José A. Labegalini -200 m and then deploying it from around -60. This book, receiving success came after many years of systematic explora- her prize from Bernard Chirol (France), receiving tion and technical effort. Kyung Sik Woo. Recognition: Certificate the prize on behalf of the author, Recognition: Certificate José A. Labegalini Johannes Mattes

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Category 4.d Category 4.d Poster Prize – Caver’s Prize Poster Prize – Best Scientific Poster Recognition: Certificate, 100 Euros in - Analysis of scallops in Gomantong Caves, by GIS processing of 3D Recognition: - Iron-rich rocks: A little recognized habitat for troglofauna colonization cash and the book FIFTY YEARS OF THE terrestrial laser scanner data - Joyce Lundberg et al., author. Certificate and 100 Euros in cash. Gustavo A. Soares and Augusto S. Auler, authors. UIS-1965-2015, by José A. Labegalini.

Joyce Lundberg1, William Carroll1, Warren Roberts2, Donald A McFarlane2, Manfred Buchroithner3, and Guy van Rentergem4 1 Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; 2 The Claremont Colleges, California, USA; 3 Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany; 4 Koningin Astridstraat, Deinze, Belgium Fig 1. Location of Gomantong, north-eastern Borneo

Gomantong Hill (5.51º N, 118.06º E) , Sabah, Borneo (Fig. 1) is an isolated hill of limestone, emergent from the sandstone plain of the Kinabatangan River (Fig. 6). It houses large relict phreatic Upper entrance to 1 Fig. 3. Extract from the cloud Simud Puteh Main entrance to Simud caves (famous for huge populations of bats and swiftlets): point data, visualized using SCENE LT software. Puteh, the White Cave Fig. 2. Well-defined Simud Hitam (or Black Cave), the lower-level tourist cave, and fluvial scallops, lit by Simud Puteh (or White Cave), the upper-level cave (Fig. 5). natural daylight, with Great Lighthole asymmetry indicating Higher level entrance, flow from right to SIMUD PUTEH Lobing Payau left. Fluvial scallops

Can we use GIS processing of 3D data from cave scallops to re-construct paleo-flow directions and Main entrance to Simud Hitam, the BlackCave thus former hydraulic gradient? Z How does this information elucidate speleogenesis? Y X This line is the tourist boardwalk Results were assessed in relation to the regional geological7,8 and topographic setting (Figs. 6 and 7). • ~300-m-thick Gomantong Limestones (Miocene) • Gomantong Hill is one of several isolated carbonate reefal units surrounded by sandstones, mudstones, coal. • 3D data acquired using • Exposed by post-Pliocene uplift and erosion FARO3D TLS, cm-scale resolution2 THEREFORE… Fig. 4. Example of output from GIS processing. Interpretation of paleo-hydraulic gradient as WEST to EAST is • Seven populations of fluvial scallops chosen (avoiding air scallops) Main entrance to Simud Puteh. A shows the • • Data extracted using SCENE LT software DEM hillsides; B shows the SLOPE map, red consistent with regional geological setting. Point cloud data imported as ASCII points into ArcGIS indicating the steepest slope; C is a cross Rising water in all passages implies deep regional flow • section, and the arrow shows the direction of • • In ArcGIS, digital elevation models, DEMs, produced for hillshade paleo-flowTrue as North deduced from the scallop • Non-karstic rocks surrounding the isolated limestones may have • Colour-coded SLOPE maps produced (red = steepest slope) asymmetry. acted as aquitards, promoting artesian flow in the limestones. • Cross sections produced • Cave passages were already formed before complete exhumation of • End result is direction of asymmetry of scallops and thus flow direction 50 m limestones. • Plotted onto survey; assessed in relation to regional geology • Speleogenesis probably occurred in last 2 million years since Late Pliocene uplift7.

« 3D output from SCENE (Fig. 3) shows « cave morphology and allowed us to print a Measuring scallop asymmetry 3D model in plastic (Fig. 5) and select by traditional techniques (in- regions of clear scallops (e.g., Fig. 2). cave measurement or analysis of photographs) is limited. GIS analysis of slopes (Fig. 4) clearly, and Orange arrows = non-subjectively, reveals whether the Fig. 5. Above: 3D print of the two cave Many scallops are simply not visible/accessible under normal lighting scallops are asymmetric and the direction. systems, the higher level in the paler paleo-flow directions or cave conditions (e.g., too high, too dark). colour. Right: simplified survey, with the two levels separated for clarity The cave is made up of dip tubes tilting downwards from entrances at The orange arrows show the paleo-flow In this example we have demonstrated how ~ 22º and opening into large central passages (Figs. 3 and 5). routes as indicated by the scallops. . Many surfaces, especially in the lower-level cave, Simud Hitam, are • It frees us from the limitations of in-field identification of strongly modified such that the original scallops are destroyed. Scallops features. in the upper level cave, Siimud Puteh, are generally better preserved • It facilitates study of technically-difficult and complex caves (Fig. 2). A • The extraordinary density of data allows rapid and accurate measurements not possible or too time-consuming in field. Paleo-flow direction could not be assessed for passages with no scallops, or with surfaces severely modified by biogenic We have also convincingly proved that activity 3, (e.g., main chamber of Simud Hitam), associated to reveal information condensation corrosion (e.g., Buli Tinobatang), or roof collapse that might otherwise not be apparent: • GIS analysis of slope provides a non-subjective indication (e.g., main chamber of Simud Puteh). of scallop morphology and asymmetry Simud Puteh has seven clearly distinct passages, five of which • The results reveal paleo-hydraulic gradients, thus we could study (results shown as arrows in Fig. 5). elucidating speleogeneisis. Simud Hitam, largely made up of a complex and considerably B This study reveals that formed in the last 2 modified chamber, has few clear passages and scallops could only million years, as a result of: be measured in two areas. • Late Pliocene uplift and lowering of regional base level; • regional groundwater flow through non-karstic rocks, in typical Darcian fashion; Results were surprisingly consistent: • recharge areas in highlands to west (former subduction zone); • In all passages studied, scallop analysis indicated • deep regional flow focused in isolated reefal limestones into : i.e., all passages TIME LINE of and were lift tubes, with no evidence of dip-and-lift tube discharging at a level some 200 m above modern sea level; sequences typical of many classic caves4 EVENTS • rapid drainage • Flow was generally in all six of the higher-level passages and shifted more towards the north in the lowest-level outlet, the main entrance to Simud Hitam Thus the results indicate: • that the

1. McFarlane, D.A. 2013 - The hollow hill of Gomantong. Descent, 230, February/March 2013: 35-36. 2. McFarlane D.A., Buchroithner M., Lundberg J., Petters C., Roberts W., & Van Rentergen G., 2013 • that regional to flow - Integrated three-dimensional laser scanning and autonomous drone surface- Fig. 6. (above) photogrammetry at Gomantong caves, Sabah, Malaysia. Proceedings of the 16th International into the limestone A. Regional topographic setting of Congress of Speleology, Brno. 2: 317-319. 5 3. Lundberg J., & McFarlane D.A., 2012 - Post-speleogenetic biogenic modification of Gomantong 7. Modified from Balaguru, A., Nichols, G., 2004. Tertiary stratigraphy and basin evolution, Gomantong in valley of Kinabatangan River . southern Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 23, 537–554 • a 6 Fig. 7. Cross sections showing geological units prior to, and after, Caves, Sabah, Borneo. Geomorphology 157/158: 153-168. B. Regional geological setting . Pliocene uplift and erosion7, and summary of time line of events8. 4. Ford, D.C. and Williams, P. 2007 – Karst Hydrology and Geomorphology. Wiley. pp. 562 8. Date on Gomantong Lsts. from McMonagle, L.B., Lunt, P., Wilson, M., Johnson, K.G, Manning, 5. Google maps C., & Young, J.R., 2011. A re-assessment of age dating of fossiliferous limestones in eastern The absence for evidence of any vadose phase suggests 6.Data from Lim, P.S., 1985. Geological Map of Sabah, Geological Survey of Malaysia,. Updated Sabah, Borneo: Implications for understanding the origins of the Indo-Pacific marine version published by Director-general os Minerals and Geosciences Department, Malaysia, 2012. biodiversity hotspot. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 305(1): 28-42. rapid de-watering. retrieved from http://www.jmg.gov.my/add_on/mt/sbh/tiles/ Feb 2017

Sources for cartoon images: http://www.3quarksdaily.com/.a/6a00d8341c562c53ef01b8d0e8a290970c-pi; http://i.imgur.com/3GJ5q6M.jpg; https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/calvinandhobbes-gifs-13.gif?w=650; https://library.osu.edu/blogs/cartoons/files/2014/02/CalvinHobbes.jpg; http://imgs.abduzeedo.com/files/articles/calvin-hobbes-collection/Calvin_and_Hobbes_by_savvy_weasley.jpg; http://garagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Calvin-Hobbes-Garage-Joel-Strong.jpg; http://desdelglobo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fincb.jpeg; https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/97/7d/67/977d67ebe7f6e763f4a846f3912d50f0.jpg; https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51UcBmAqErL.jpg; http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/564cc42e2491f99d008b63b7/calvin-and-hobbes-just-turned-30--heres-the-history-of-the-strip-and-its-mysterious-creator-bill-; atterson.jpg

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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS exploration The UIS Prizes 2017 Committee thanks: • All of the authors and nominators of this issue. • Denis Marsh, President of the Organizing Commission of the 17th ICS and his team, for the THE DEEPEST CAVE IN THE WORLD support and facilities provided before and during the event Seventeen years after entering the cave for the first time The Perovo-Speleo Team - together with The Perovo • The seven scientists of the Judging Committee, for their great support, hard work and long time they spent during the event to review all the books and posters carefully in order to Caving Club - reached the spectacular mark of 2.204 meter below the surface, a new world record in caves. elect the best in each category. As a tradition in the organization of the UIS Prizes, the names of the judges are not mentioned in order to preserve the confidentiality of the judgments. By Pavel Demidov (Russia) Credits of the photos to • Julia James, for collecting the books at home as well as for her great enthusiasm and commit- [email protected] Dmitry Parshin ment with the organization of the whole UIS Prizes process. The issue 2021 of the UIS Prizes is planned to be announced in Sep- he entrance of Verëvkina (Veryovkina) Cave is the head of the pit, unfortunately without a rope or tember 2020. Some suggestions for improvement were already received situated on the southern slopes of the Arabika equipment at -360 m. and noted with thanks. Any other ones will also be welcome. massive, on the Gagry ridge, in Abkhazia, only The next five expeditions were a real race into We count on the participation of the whole international speleologi- 5 km to the east of the Krubera-Voronya cave. the depths of the cave. Never before, had I imagine cal community in order to highlight even more the next issue of the UIS T It was found in 1968 by Krasnoyarsk cavers under that the exploration could be so fast and amazing. Prizes, which final result will be presented on July 29, 2021, in Lyon, Fran- the leadership of V. Vaskevitch. In 1986 cavers from June 2016. A small group from The Perovo- th ce, at the Closing Banquet of the 18 International Congress of Speleology. The Perovo Caving Club, led by V. Reisner, explored it -Speleo Team, led by Konstantin Zverev, launched an José A. Labegalini See all of you there. down to -420 m. We, The Perovo-Speleo Team, came expedition. The first new pit was 40 m deep. Howe- Augusto Auler (Brazil, on the right), UIS Prizes 2017 Committee to the cave for the first time in August 2000. During ver, after it came the huge -155 m Babatunde shaft. one of the authors of the poster - Nivaldo Colzato (Brazil) - Chairman, UIS Adjunct Secretary three expeditions we tried hard to push the final pas- Then other smaller ones. We ran out of ropes at the awarded in the category - Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns (Belgium) - President of the UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission. sage but in vain. In November 2002, after another depth of 630 m. It was obvious that the cave had at “Best Scientific Poster” - José Ayrton Labegalini (Brazil) - UIS Past President unfruitful difficult attempt, we started exploring the last opened its passages for us and we had to prepare upper parts. Finally, at a depth of 140 m we found a a bigger expedition. squeeze, which led us to the new part of the cave. Du- In August 2016 our Perovo-Speleo Team toge- ring four more expeditions we struggled in this part. ther with The Perovo Caving Club launched its next It was extremely narrow and has many dead ends. In expedition. We set a camp at -650 m, big enough for France HABE Prize 2017 July 2010, we stopped at a depth of 320 m. During 12 people. One group worked on improving the ri- four more expeditions, guys from the Perovo Caving gging, the other one was responsible for laying the Club explored it until, in August 2015, they came to phone lines. So, after 800 m of the rope and 20 days he France Habe Prize is a speleological award Recognition: Certificate, 250 Euros in cash and the book FIFTY managed by the Karst and Cave Protection YEARS OF THE UIS-1965-2015, by José A. Labegalini. Commission of the UIS and financed by the TUIS budget. The France Habe Prize helps to promote amon- gst the world speleological community karst and cave protection activities in an integrated ecological way. The Jury of the France Habe Prize is composed by 2 members of the Scientific Committee of the UIS Department of Karst and Cave Protection and its Pre- sident, Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns. The presentation of the 2017 issue was held

together of the UIS Prizes, and led by Jean-Pierre. José A. Labegalini This year, five submissions were received. They concern a good variety of subjects connected to karst and cave protection. The Jury congratulates Joerg DREYBRODT from Germany, Elena TROFIMOVA from Russia, Ciril MINAR from Slovenia and Luciano Emerich FARIA from Brazil for their investment in the karst and cave protection. Irawati Juniat receiving The France Habe Prize 2017 went to her prize and exhibiting the Certificate Irawati JUNIAT, from Indonesia, for her work “Protection and management of karst José A. Labegalini The arrow above shows the speleologists near the Verëvkina Cave on February 2017. regions in Indonesia” About five meters of snow over the entrance awaited the group.

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Topographic profile of the Verëvkina Cave. The 828 m of the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai (the world’s tallest buil- ding), is represented here in the same scale of the cave due to give the idea of how hard and impressive The small entrance in August, during the summer. Details of the interior of the cave. At the bottom, at has being the work of the speleologists to reach the depth “so far” of 2.204 meters below the earth. That’s where the odyssey begins. least 2 km of passages still to be surveyed.

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area, gives the same ranking order. Then there is also the area of the surface of the three dimensional shape Largest Cave Chambers of the chamber, The Surface Area, which is unambi- guous. So, for now, this list contains the objective, in the World - 3D Scanning Project unambiguous measurements of Volume, Plan Area and Surface Area. Of course this list is, the list today. 3rd October2017 Discussion still exists over whether or not, voids such By Roo Walters (UK) - Long, Deep and Large Caves Commission of the UIS as El Sotano De las Golondrinas (Mexico), should [email protected] be included, but the author find that the majority of speleologists now agree that these are all chambers. In addition, there are already candidates, in Mexico, ver the past 5 years a core team of Tim Al- only means to reliably measure caves, has little mea- France, Slovenia and China for further study, so, such len, Andy Eavis and Roo Walters and a host ning and is open to subjective assessment. is the pace of modern cave exploration, speleologists of others have been mapping the world’s lar- There are three possible means to by which to can expect this list to evolve. gest cave chambers with a view to finding measure area. The traditional, Plan Area, which is a O They have now been printed as 3D models, all Nivaldo Colzato out which really are the biggest. This is a preliminary projection of the chamber onto a 2D map is unambi- to the same scale. These were presented at the 17th update for UIS with view to a full report being writ- guous but is unrepresentative of the area of most of International Congress of Speleology, in Sydeny, Aus- Chambers printed as 3D models, all to the same ten in due course which shall investigate the findings the chambers as they are almost never flat. As it is tralia, and people can bring a forum of opinions as to scale, displayed during the 17th ICS. As a reference and issues in more detail. The surveys were comple- unambiguous, it is included in our table. A “Projec- how they think these caves should be rated. Is it by of size, note the black Kingston Communications ted using state of the art LIDAR scanning tools and ted Slope Area” can be calculated by projecting the volume, is it by floor area and where do the chambers Stadium (Hull, United Kingdom), on the right. software allowing us to create 3D models of each chamber onto a 2D slope that conveys the slope of begin and end, and, how do you measure the largest chamber and calculate dimensions very accurately. the chamber, but in places like Cloud Ladder Hall, known cave passage in the world? The results are in the table below. Hong Meigui Chamber and La Muneca there are se- It should prove an interesting discussion. A few points are necessary. We have ranked the veral ‘general’ slopes to consider; how many slopes chambers by volume. This is because, in our opinion, should we consider? Lastly there is the surface area they are three dimensional spaces and therefore of what might be considered the floor of the cham- should be quantified by a three dimensional metric. ber, but there are subjective considerations as to what ACTIVITY REPORT 2013-2017 Volume means the ‘occupiable airspace’ in the cham- should be included as floor and where the bounda- ber and does not include the tiny cracks gaps betwe- ries between the floor and the walls might be. ARTS AND LETTERS COMMISSION en boulders. Further consideration has revealed that Incidentally, ranking by any of the three mea- measurement by area, which until now, has been the surements of Plan, Projected Slope and Floor surface Ian Ellis Chandler (Spain), President [email protected] Name Cave Volume Surface Plan Country Location n these years the President of the Commission to- Area Area Yorkshire Dales, United Kingdom gether with Taraneh Khaleghi (Iran/Austria) have August 2016 (x106m3) (x103m2) (x103m2) Nº been involved with the following congresses with EuroSpeleo 1 Miao Room Gebihe 10.57 642.06 145.04 China Ziyun County, Guizhou respect to their Art Salon and/or associated acti- Assisting in setting up art salon and contributing to Sarawak Chamber Nasib Bagus 9.81 584.69 168.87 Malaysia Mulu National Park, Sarawak I 2 vities. three overground and one underground workshop. 3 Cloud Ladder Hall Quankou Dong 6.23 341.45 56.74 China Tongzi, Wulong County, Chongqing Romania, Baile Herculane August 2014 4 La Muneca Fea Tlamanictli-TZ1 5.90 283.15 65.06 Mexico Tepepan, Zaragosa, Puelba Sydney, Australia Speleology Federation of Romania August 2017 5 Hong Meigui Niu Ping Dong 5.25 252.72 58.34 China Leye County, Guangxi Assisting in setting up the Art Salon and in 17th International Congress of Speleology 6 Ghar-e-Dosar Ghar-e-Dosar 4.33 237.90 79.14 Iran Mehrib, Yadz workshops. Assisting the organisers in preparing the art salon 7 Majlis al Jinn Majlis al Jinn 4.11 273.57 59.41 Oman Selma Plateau and associated activities. Italy, Casola Valsenio 8 Salle de la Verna Reseau de la Pierre 3.65 187.37 43.15 France Sainte-Engrace, Pyrénées-Atlantiques San Martin November 2014 Caving Symposium FUTURE ACTIVITY 9 Api Chamber Clearwater System 2.89 202.39 42.73 Malaysia Mulu National Park, Sarawak Setting up art salon with work from many different 10 Titan Chamber Ban Dong Xinu - Chu 2.43 179.38 52.81 China Doshan, Anlong County, Guizhou artists Ebensee, Austria Yan Dong August 2018 ? Gran Sala GEV Torca de la Carlista 2.14 282.12 84.31 Spain Cantabria Italy, Pertoso-Auletta Eurospeleo Forum ? Marco Polo Nongluidong 1.44 239.07 45.69 China Dinlong, Jinya, Fengshan District, Guangxi June 2015 Art salon and workshops ? The Big Room Carlsbad Caverns 0.93 156.10 45.36 USA New Mexico Italian cave science symposium Providing an art exhibition which included a num- Belize Chamber Chiquibul Cave 0.81 167.83 46.38 Belize Chiquibul ? ber of artists from different countries.

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ACTIVITY REPORT 2013-2017 • During these four years, the Department had continued to organize the France Habe Prize who is grated each year of 250€. Notice that consequently KARST AND CAVE PROTECTION to a better and a repetitive promotion the number (1) of candidacy is increasing. http://www.uis-speleo.org/ DEPARTMENT index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&It emid=383 By Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns (Belgium), President Photos © UIS Adjunct Secretary 2009-2017 Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns The Department has intervened [email protected] - in March 2014 the Department marks its in- dignation at advertising filmed for Red Bull in the • In August 2013, in Gabon, I met with the Action to follow and to finalize on the base of the Jeita Cave. It will finally not used or diffused. officials of the Ministry of Scientific Research and new internal regulations. - in March 2015 the Department ask informa- Technological Development, the National Agency of • The Department has been asked to participa- tion because it learn from various sources about de- National Parks and the Institute of Research for De- te in the 4th National Ecotourism and Cave Festival - The president had the chance to meet there Dr gradations and destructions made at the entrance of velopment to try to establish a collaboration Speleo- Santa Teresita - Luzon - Philippines in February 2016. Robby KO, the UIS Indonesian delegate. logical research and for the cave protection. J-P Bartholeyns was the president of the jury of * Fauna & Flora International (the world’s ol- a salt cave near 3N on Qeshm Island (Iran). • The Department has accepted the invitation a cave scale model competition on char realised by dest international conservation organisation and - in January 2016, sending a letter to the Envi- of the Lebanese Minister of Tourism to the UIS Karst each barangay (local municipality) of Santa Teresita. working in 44 countries) has [because they found our ronmental General Office Sao Paulo State – Brazil to and Cave Protection Department to do a mission of • On 02-03 May 2016, at the request of the joint ‘international guidelines on show caves’ from ask a better management of Caverna do Diabo. expertise. In June 2014, J-P. Bartholeyns, A. Cigna University Gadjah Mada – Faculty of Geography, the web and found it useful] contacted the Depart- - in January 2016, at the request of G. Badi- and J. A. Labegalini, visited the show caves of Jeita, the Department has been asked to participate in ment and Renata Marinelli (ISCA) in the frame of its no he supports a study project about the show cave Rihan and Qadisha and write a rapport. field work, to animate in Yogyakarta – Indonesia a project on karst/caves in Myanmar. They have had (PRIN) in order to obtaining a grant for. • During the 2015 North Luzon International Workshop on Show Cave Management and to make several biological surveys done, and as part of their - in September 2016. Written reaction against a Caving Expedition Philippine (NLICEP) I was request a presentation on “Good practices in show cave ma- work they are engaging with temple communities on by the Governor and the Provincial Culture and Tou- nagement”. new wave of selling speleothems in China. the management of their caves/pagoda. rism Committee of Balbalan Province to advise them • On 04-05 May 2016, at the request of the In- - in May 2017 the Department wrote to Clair- Thinking of adapting them and giving it more and make a rapport on the possibility to develop a donesian Speleological Society, the Department has -Obscur Production to draw their attention to the fact stress and guidance on the micro-endemic fauna whi- “Caving trek” (51 km) through 3 villages of a long been asked to participate in field work, to animate in that making a fire in a cave or under the entrance ch lives in some of the caves, and on possible archae- valley. During the second part of this expedition, at Bogor - Indonesia a workshop on Show Cave Mana- ological/cultural property aspects they ask us whom porch of a cave, even for the purposes of shooting a the request of the Mayor of Santa Teresita – Philip- gement and to make a presentation on “Good practi- would we advise them to contact in the Asian region film on “Cro-Magnon “is likely to be very damaging pines, the UIS has, by my presence, enhanced the 3th ces in show cave management”. for advice on practical, sensitive and cost effective to bats, mammals protected by the law in Belgium. National Ecotourism Festival in Santa Teresita. management of caves for visitors? - in June 2017, as the UIS Karst and Cave Pro- • I took part in the 33rd Congress of the Brazi- The president answers them immediately, tection Department knows, that the National Park of lian Speleological Society in August 2015 and have (1) After this report was written, the UIS General telling them that the Protection Department of the there a good contact with the responsible of Voltoran- Assembly decided in July 2017 to change all depart- Caves of Peruaçu, where the Janelão Cave is situa- UIS and members of its Scientific Committee have a tim who manage a karst project with the SBE. May be ments to commissions, so this is now the Karst and ted, has fill up the application to become a UNESCO much broader vision of sustainable management of could we ask them to be an UIS associated member. Cave Protection Commission. tourist caves without losing sight of their important socio-cultural and historical aspect and the educatio- nal aspect of their different individual strengths while ISCA has a very commercial and mercantile vision of the problem. The department has been then asked to anima- te a Myanmar Cave Management Workshop in Hpaan – 17-22 July 2016 and to make a presentation about “Good practices in show cave management”. • Presence of the Department at the 1st Asian Speleological Conference and the 2nd Asian Transkarst Conference in Lichuan (China) in November 2016 where the Asian Union of Speleology was officially founded. I also actively take part in the Cave Mana- gement workshop.

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Thanks REPORT of activities 2013-2017, and future perspectives The Department is very grateful to the mem- bers of the Scientific Committee for their support, encouragement and cooperation in the pursuit of its artificial cavities commission objectives. By Mario Parise (Italy), President University Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy The Department express its thanks to Jasmina [email protected] Rijavec, the UIS webmaster for her help in the rapid publication of its information’s on the UIS website. he period between the last International Con- cadastres, and the definition of symbols to represent gress of Speleology, in Brno (Czech Republic) and map features typical of artificial cavities, have and the 17th Congress in Sydney (Australia) been object of specific discussion and meetings, too. KARST AND CAVE PROTECTION has been very important for the Commission The city of Rome hosted for the first time such COMMISSION T on Artificial Cavities of the International Union of an important speleological meeting, of international ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS: 2017-2021 Speleology. A great effort has been done in order to level. The remarkable event is also tesified by the World Heritage. The UIS Karst and Cave Protection During the UIS General Assembly held in widen the number of members and to include other ponderous book proceedings, consisting of 550 pages Department wants to support this idea. Sydney in 2017, the decision was made to change all countries in the Commission. Such effort produced (edited by Mario Parise, Carla Galeazzi, Roberto Bi- th significant results, and so far, the Artificial Cavities xio, and Carlo Germani), which was distributed at the At the occasion of the 34 Congresso Brasileiro UIS departments in order to only have commissions. Commission is formed by about 20 members from 11 opening of the congress (Figure 1). The book includes de Espeleologia (June 2016), the UIS Karst and Cave The new name of this group is now the UIS Karst countries. The complete list of members is provided all the accepted presentations, which were organized Protection Department proposes to vote a special mo- and Cave Protection Commission. at the end of this report, and is available at the UIS in 37 posters and 36 oral presentations. tion to see this candidacy also totally supported by It was decided during the meeting of the com- website as well. The Commission is still open to in- Following the three days of congress, the round the Sociedade Brasilera de Espeleologia (SBE). mission in Sydney to totally support the work needed clusion of other members, especially from countries table “Mundus subterraneus” was held in the Pietro * Showing the importance of the cave protec- to get the agreement of UNESCO to make 2021 the so far not yet represented (from the Middle East, to da Cortona Hall of the Musei Capitolini; during this Asia, and America, but also other European countries event, several personalities discussed with cavers the- tion, the Department was very active to promote the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK). The Commission will ask every volunteer to obtain letters as Greece, Romania, etc.). 2021 IYKC. Contact with UNESCO Belgium commis- Apart from the increase in the number of mem- of support for the IYCK from the maximum number sion for the 2021 International Year of Caves and bers, and of represented countries, several activities Karst who agree to support the project and to help to of associations at a national and international level have been successfully planned, organized and car- finalise the file. He also asked some Belgian and/or to show UNESCO that there is real interest for this ried out. international organisations in connection with (the project everywhere in the world. The most significant was without any doubt the organization of International Congresses of Speleolo- protection of) karst and caves to obtain letters of su- The Commission also decided to: gy in Artificial Cavities, under the name “Hypogea”, pport of this project. • recommend setting up an electronic petition entirely dedicated to studies and research in artificial * The department continue to promote the Re- cavities. The first edition, HYPOGEA 2015, was held in favor of the IYCK; commended International Guidelines for Show Caves in Rome (Italy) in March 11-17, 2015 (Parise et al., • asking all UIS commissions and national de- during the meetings its president attend or directly 2015), with the patronage and the financial support legates to be involved with the IYCK; by UIS, and was hosted in the prestigious venue of to the cave managers. http://www.uis-speleo.org/docu- • propose to the new UIS Bureau that the the Sala Guglielmo Marconi at the headquarters of ments/Recommended_International_Guidelines_publi- Commission will organize the France Habe Prize for the National Research Council of Italy. shed_version.pdf the next four years and to grant it with 250€/year to About 150 scholars, coming from 14 countries - Help to a cave of the Mavrolo National Park support the prize. (Austria, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Isra- (Macedonia) to continue to have the possibility to • continue facilitating the exchange of expe- stay a show cave for tourists. (July 2017) el, Switzerland, United States, and Turkey) attended riences and information relating to karst and cave the congress, talking and comparing their different protection by transmitting them more often through experiences on issues as study and inventory of an- Conclusion the UIS Website; and cient hydraulic works, worship sites, the use of new The Department has fulfilled its role in raising • because the protection of karst and caves is technologies for the exploration and the topographic awareness of different audiences and promoting the an important and ongoing concern, the Commis- survey of artificial cavities, the analysis of peculiar Guidelines and the France Habe Prize. sion should answer and react to all the requests and speleothems in underground artificial sites, resear- ch and re-explorations in underground mines (with “Protection” remains a hot, intense and delica- problems which will pop up during the next four particular reference to the risks in exploration), the years. te subject that is always evolving. diving explorations in artificial cavities. Further, com- Consequently, the Department continued its paring the different typologies of artificial cavities in Figure 1 - Cover of the book proceedings for work during this quadrennium. different countries, their registration in dedicated “Hypogea 2015”.

UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 56/ 123 UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 57/ 123 BULLETIN BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Union Internationale de Spéléologie mes such as the research, safeguard, protection, risk, The book proceedings (Figure 2), edited by Ma- to meet, in order to share the research experiences, started with the Pseudokarst Commission, the Infor- and valorization of the artificial cavities, and of the rio Parise, Carla Galeazzi, Roberto Bixio and Ali Ya- and the international studies on artificial cavities. matics Commission, Working Group on Caver’s Mul- cultural heritage they represent and host. mac (Parise et al., 2017), are a volume of about 560 This also to further strengthen the activities of the ti-Langual Dictionary, the Informatics Commission, Further, the congress also included field vi- pages, which reflects the huge amount of work done Commission on Artificial Cavities of the International Working Group on Survey and Mapping, and the sits to significant underground sites in Rome and in the months preceeding the congress. They are or- Union of Speleology. The great interest by scholars Department of Karst and Cave Protection. In Rome, nearby regions, and three post-congress excursions ganized in different sections, covering all the themes is further testified by the proposal, recently accepted during the works of “Hypogea 2015”, some of these which allowed the participants to “travel” in a time discussed during the congress: by the Commission, about the 3rd edition of the Inter- contacts had the first outcomes, with works by Bi- span of 23 centuries (from the 6th century B.C. to the national Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities xio et al. (2015) and by Hauselmann (2015), about 17th A.C.), along ancient hydraulic channels, under- i) Archaeology, Archaeometry, Art history; “HYPOGEA 2019”, which will be held in north-east symbols in artificial cavities, and by Garasic (2015), ground aqueducts, mines and domus of roman age, ii) Geology, Geomorphology, Environmental Hazards; Bulgary, in the city of Dobrich, on May 20-25, 2019 about the multi-language dictionary of caves. nympheus and Inquisition jails. iii) Hydraulic underground works; (Figures 3 and 4). The Bulgarian team, held by Alexey In detail a joint project was started with the The large success of the Hypogea 2015 congress iv) Hypogean civilian dwellings; Zhalov, is already hardly working for the organiza- Informatics Commission, Working Group on Survey in Rome pushed others to work toward a follow-up v) Military and defensive works; tion of the congress, in the attempt to follow the pre- and Mapping, to define a specific set of symbols for of this initiative, and soon after the first edition the vi) Mining works; vious editions, and to continue to publish the book artificial cavities, to be added to the existing UIS work started to prepare and organize the second one, vii) Religious – cult structures; proceedings at the time of the congress. Symbol List (available at http://www.carto.net/neu- this turn in Turkey, in the magnificent natural scena- viii) Typologies, Symbols, terms and cadastre of Since 2013, the UIS Commission on Artificial mann/caving/cave-symbols/). rio of Cappadocia. artificial cavities. Cavities is providing its auspices to the “Speleology Starting from the set proposed by Bixio’s team Together with this idea, a new brand was esta- and Spelestology” International Scientific Corres- in their contribution at Hypogea 2015, Philippe Hau- blished, namely “Hypogea”, which significantly ma- The field trip program has been particularly pondence Conference Series, organized in Russia, selmann and his Working Group worked to prepare rked the birth of the first edition of the congress. The rich, with great participation and appreciation by the and printed in Nabereznye Chelny. It has to be noted a set of symbols for artificial cavities, which then name HYPOGEA was originally born in Italy from the attendees, and covered some among the most magic that the term “Spelestology” is used in the Russian came back to the Commission on Artificial Cavities, will to share the experiences and expertise of three and significant sites of Cappadocia. language to indicate speleology in artificial cavities. and was discussed, before being accepted and shared different caving organizations in Latium: Asso, Ege- The congress once more confirmed the need Further, the President of the UIS Commission, Mario with the other group. The final set of symbols, shown ria Underground Research Center, and Roma Sot- and the importanve of having a periodic opportunity Parise, has been included as member in the Editorial in Figure 5, will be eventually presented during the terranea. It has then become a brand for designing Board of the Conference Series. Congress in Sydney. and identifying the International Congresses of Spe- In 2013, the 4th International Scientific Corres- This activity has already been recently presen- leology in Artificial Cavities, and is now inextricably pondence Conference “Speleology and Spelestology” ted in a Regional Congress of Speleology, held in Na- linked to international caving appointments in artifi- resulted in a book of 382 pages, comprising 68 works, ples (Italy) in June 2017 (Parise et al., 2017). cial cavities (Galeazzi & Parise, 2017). half of which (34) dealing with artificial cavities. The Newsletters of the Commission was foun- The 2nd International Congress of Speleology In 2014, the 5th International Scientific Corres- ded in 2014, and two issues have been so far produ- in Artificial Cavities HYPOGEA 2017 took place from pondence Conference “Speleology and Spelestolo- ced. In the last year, work of the Newsletter slowed March 6 to March 10, 2017, again under the auspices gy” resulted in a book of 342 pages, comprising 53 down, but it is our intention to re-start it, and to pro- of the International Union of Speleology, and with works, 24 out of which dealing with artificial cavities. duce two newsletter per year. This will be a matter patronages from different associations and institu- In 2015, the 6th International Scientific Cor- of discussion within the Commission in the next we- tions. respondence Conference “Speleology and Spelestolo- eks, aimed at a better organization, and flux of news Notwithstanding the difficult organization, gy”, organized also for the 170th Anniversary of the about artificial cavities for the newsletter. related to the political turnmoils in the eastern Me- Russian Geographical Society, resulted in a book of diterranean and the middle East in the last months, 312 pages, consisting of 52 works, 20 out of which the congress was attended by more than 50 scholars dealing with artificial cavities. from 11 countries (Bulgary, France, Georgia, Ger- In 2016, the 7th International Scientific Corres- many, Greece, Italy, Israel, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and pondence Conference “Speleology and Spelestolo- Ukraine). A variety of different themes about artificial gy” resulted in a book of 335 pages, consisting of 43 cavities were explored, analyzed, and discussed du- works, 19 out of which dealing with artificial cavities. ring the week of the congress: from the inventory, to Eventually, as concerns other international me- exploration methods and techniques, from mapping, etings, the UIS Commission on Artificial Cavities also to the use of new technologies for exploration and to- provided patronage for the International Scientific pographic survey, to research and re-explorations in Forum “Caves as objects of history and culture”, held mines, up to hazards related to instability processes in Voronezh and Divnogorye (Russia) in April 19-22, within artificial cavities. 2016 (Gunko et al., 2016). The spectacular natural landforms of Cappado- The Commission on Artificial Cavities started cia, a region worldwide-known for the richness and to have contact in Brno in 2013 with members from variety of artificial cavities, within one of the most other UIS Commissions, aimed at beginning joint beautiful natural landscapes in the world, was the Figure 2 - Cover of the book proceedings projects, in order to have two or more UIS Commis- Figure 3 - Logo of the 3rd International perfect scenario for the congress. for “HYPOGEA 2017”. sions working together. For instance, contacts were Congress in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2019”.

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During the 17th UIS Congress in Sydney, the cial cavities should be soon ready, and added to the meeting of the Artificial Cavities Commission was at- general list of symbols. In addition, at Sydney an tended by the Commission members present at the agreement was reached with the President of the UIS DOBRICH congress, and by newcomers interested in the topic as Informatics Commission, Peter Matthews, to contri- well. The discussion was very fruitful, and in the next bute to the Cavers Multi-lingual Dictionary by adding HYPOGEA months likely new members will join the Commission, terms specifically related to artificial cavities. This from important countries so far not represented, such project wil start in the following months. International Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities 2019 as United States of America, Germany and Australia. As further future commitments, the Commis- The Commission is strongly interested in ke- sion will work on building a website of the Com-

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT eping working with other UIS Commissions: at this mission, that will include the main information on regard, the aforementioned set of symbols for artifi- events linked to artificial cavities, a short description Dear Colleagues,

POINTS OF INTEREST The first International Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities; HYPOGEA 2015 was held in Rome / Italy during March 11-15, 2015 . The second one - HYPOGEA 2017 took place in Ürgüp- Artificial Cavities: Cappadocia / Turkey during March 6-10, 2017. The 3-rd edition of HYPOGEA congress will be held in Bulgaria from 20 to 25 May 2019.

This important event will be organized by Bulgarian Caving Society in collaboration with differ-  Old mines ent Bulgarian regional museums of history and scientific institutions and under the patronages  Rock cut structures of International Union of Speleology in the face of its Commission of Artificial Cavities, Balkan Speleological Union , HYPOGEA Federation – Italy and Municipality of Dorbrich City, Bulgaria.  Monasteries & Churches This speleological congress is dedicated to the 90 - th anniversary of organized speleology in  Underground Quarries Bulgaria.  Derange Channels Date and venue

 Catchments & Qanats HYPOGEA’ 2019 will be held in Dobrich City in May 20 -25 2019. During and after the Congress

 Study &Survey there will be several excursions to various artificial cavities, rock monasteries and churches, cave dwellings in North – East Bulgaria.  Protection Goals & Objectives of the event  Rehabilitation The main object of HYPOGEA 2019 Congress is to continue the tradition to gather together the  Socialization explorers of artificial cavities all over the world, which beginning was put in Roma and continue during the second edition of the congress in Capadocia - Turkey. The second, but not the last goal of the Congress is to increase dialogue and encourage the collaboration among the non- professional and professional explorers of artificial cavities and to provide an opportunity for members of the community to share their experiences under exploration and study of under- ground cavities and to promote the preservation of subterranean historical and cultural herit- age.

Working language: English DEADLINES Focuses of the discussions: Abstract December  Results of the exploration of different kind of objects in accordance of their type, origin -st submission: 31 2017 and use;  Historical, cultural and economic importance of the artificial cavities; March Confirmation  Hazards, protection , remediation and rehabilitation; of the abstracts: 31-st 2018  Technics for collecting of scientific information, cave mapping, visualization and interpre- tation of obtained data; Final July -th contribution: 31 , 2018  General matters concerning artificial cavities.  Early birds October -th The contributions are expected in English language and can be presented orally (max. 12 min. + up to: 15 , 2018 3 min. discussion) or as a poster, based upon a selection by the Scientific Committee.

Registration May In order to ensure distribution of the proceedings during the Congress, the above deadlines -st closing date: 1 , 2019 will be strictly maintained.

Figure 4 - First announcement of the 3rd International Congress in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea Figure 5 - Preliminary set of symbols for artificial cavities (as produced by Philippe Hauselmann and the UIS 2019”, to be held in Bulgaria in 2019. Working Group on Survey and Mapping, and revised by Roberto Bixio and Mario Parise).

UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 60/ 123 UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 61/ 123 BULLETIN BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Union Internationale de Spéléologie of the Commission members, links to their main pu- letin, vol. 59/1, p. 25-27. PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR 2017-2021 blications and works, and a newsletter to describe the PARISE M., BIXIO R. & HAUSELMANN P., 2017, Sim- on going activities. boli cartografici per cavità artificiali: recenti attività delle For the next years, we are planning to have a Commissioni UIS. In: DAMIANO N. (ed.), Proc. III Regional Commission Permanente de Spéléothérapie (CPS) Commission meeting in early 2018 (likely in Israel), Congress of Speleology “Campania Speleologica 2017”, while the organization of the 3rd edition of Hypogea, 2–4 June 2017, Napoli, ISBN 978-88-89897-16-4, p. 145- PERMANENT COMMISSION ON SPELEOTHERAPY (PCS) the International Congress of Speleology in Artificial 150. Cavities, is already active for the 2019 edition in Bul- PARISE M., GALEAZZI C., BIXIO R. & DIXON M., By Iuri Simionca, MSR-II, Biol. Dr. , Ph.Dr. (Romania), President garia, as previously described in this article. 2013, Classification of artificial cavities: a first contri- [email protected] bution by the UIS Commission. In: FILIPPI M., BOSAK P. (Eds.), Proc. 16th Int. Congr. Speleology, Brno, 21-28 July The Permanent Commission on Speleotherapy / Works produced by the Commission, 2013,vol. 2, p. 230-235. Commission Permanente de Spéléothérapie (PCS/CPS-UIS) and references quoted in text PARISE M., GALEAZZI C., BIXIO R. & GERMANI C. (Eds.), 2015, Proceedings of the International Congress in and its role in development of speleotherapy and descendants methods BIXIO R., SAJ S. & DE PASCALE A., 2015, Contribu- Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2015”. Rome, March 11-17, tion to the definition of cartographic symbols for artificial 2015, ISBN 978-88-89731-79-6, 543 pp. cavities. In: PARISE M., GALEAZZI C., BIXIO R. & GERMANI PARISE M., GALEAZZI C., BIXIO R. & YAMAC A. PCS/78 /2017.07.26 nd this field were topics of speleotherapy symposiums in C., (Editors), Proceedings of the International Congress in To the 2 UIS General Assembly - July 29, 2017 - Sydney, Australia (Eds.), 2017, Proceedings of the International Congress in the last and the current decade, especially at scien- Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2015”, Rome, March 11-17, Artificial Cavities “Cappadocia - Hypogea 2017”. Cappa- tific events organized or coordinated by the Perma- 2015, ISBN 978-88-89731-79-6, p. 429-432. docia (Turkey), March 06-10, 2017, ISBN 978-605-9680- [Activity Report from 30.05.2017 from July 2013 st nent Commission on Speleotherapy/Commission GALEAZZI C. & PARISE M., 2017, Hypogea. The offi- to May 2017 to UIS Current Bureau, UIS Bulletin and 1 37-0, 556 pp. Permanente de spéléothérapie (PCS/CPS-UIS) (XIVth cial brand of the International Congresses of Speleology UIS General Assembly of 23.07.2017 (President PCS/CPS of UIS, Iuri Simionca, MSR-II, Dr. Biol., Ph.D.) was publi- International Symposium of Speleotherapy in Turda, in Artificial Cavities. Proceedings of the International Con- shed in the UIS Bulletin No 59-1/2017. See at Romania, 2012; the XVth International Symposium of gress in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2017”, Cappadocia UIS Commission on Artificial http://www. Speleotherapy in Wieliczka, Poland, 2014; Speleo- (Turkey), March 06-10, 2017, ISBN 978-605-9680-37-0, uis-speleo.org/downloads/uis-bulletins/uisb591.pdf]. Cavities (as of July 2017) therapy Symposium at the International Congress of p. vii. GALEAZZI C., 2013, The typological tree of artificial President: I. Planned activities of the Permanent Speleology of the UIS, Brno, Czech Republic; confe- rences of speleotherapy In Solotvino, Ukraine, 2013, cavities: a contribution by the SSI Commission. In: PARISE Mario Parise (Italy) Commission on Speleotherapy/Commission 2015; workshops in Wieliczka, Poland - 2013, 2014; M. (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Workshop on [email protected] permanente de spéléothérapie (Commission Speleology in Artificial Cavities “Classification of the typo- Vice President: on Speleotherapy/Commission de spéléo- working meeting in Turda, Romania, with the partici- pation of specialists in the field of speleotherapy and logies of artificial cavities in the world”. Torino (Italy), May Joep Orbons (Netherlands) thérapie) for the years 2017-2021. mining tourism from Wieliczka, Poland - 2016). 18-20, 2012, Opera Ipogea, no. 1, p. 9-18. [email protected] GARASIC M., 2015, Terms about artificial cavities in Secretary: Currently speleotherapy occupies an important These activities and results in the field as well UIS caver’s multi-lingual dictionary. In: PARISE M., GALE- Carla Galeazzi (Italy) place in salt mines and carst caves with different pa- as the evaluations of several centers for speleothera- AZZI C., BIXIO R. & GERMANI C., (Editors), Proceedings of [email protected] rameters: Wieliczka, Poland; Klutert Hohl, Germany; py were described in the reports published in editions the International Congress in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea Zlate Hory and Cisarska Cave, Czech Republic; “Natio- of the UIS Bulletin. 2015”, Rome, March 11-17, 2015, ISBN 978-88-89731-79- Ordinary members: nal Speleotherapy Clinic” in Soligorsk Potassium Salt As a result of direct consultations with Com- 6, p. 455-457. Pedro Aguiar (Portugal) Mine, Belarus; Bystrianska Jaskyna, Slovakia; Kurzen- mission Board members (Permanent Commission on GUNKO A.A., KONDRATIEVA S.K. & LYLOVA M.I. Roberto Bixio (Italy) trum Bad Bleiberg with speleotherapy in Heilklimasto- Speleotherapy/Commission permanente de spéléo- (Eds.), 2016, Proceedings of the International Scientific Guy De Block (Belgium) len Rudolfsschacht, Austria, “Unirea” Salt Mine - Slănic thérapie (PCS/CPS-UIS) within scientific manifesta- Forum “Caves as objects of history and culture”. Vorone- Martin Dixon (Great Britain) Prahova, Romania and will occupy a significant place tions, working sessions and by modern media in May zh - Divnogorye (Russia), April 19-22, 2016, publ. center Hakan Eğilmez (Turkey) the Praid and Turda salt mines from Romania. - July 2017, as well as in accordance with previous Nauchnaya Kniga, Voronezh, ISBN 978-5-4446-0793-0, Amos Frumkin (Israel) In the last ten years, an important place occu- resolutions has coincided that it is necessary to deve- 216 pp. Jean Francois Garnier (France) py Halotherapy – therapy on the surface in room / lop the field of speleotherapy and halotherapy and to HAUSELMANN P., 2015, The UIS symbol set for Luis Jorda Bordehore (Spain) spaces with artificial salt mine environment (sodium promote these fields based on scientific data on the cave maps and its possible extension for artificial cavities. Sophia Kondratieva (Russia) or potassium chloride) and aerosol from salt micro- therapeutic factors of underground salt and karst en- In: PARISE M., GALEAZZI C., BIXIO R. & GERMANI C., (Edi- James McCarthy Max (Ireland) particles dispersed through halogenerators. This is a vironment or of other origin, existing in underground tors), Proceedings of the International Congress in Artifi- Luc Stevens (Belgium) method of complementary therapy occurred in So- spaces or created in special surface constructions, fac- cial Cavities “Hypogea 2015”, Rome, March 11-17, 2015, Jérôme Triolet (France) lotvino-Uzhgorod (Ukraine) based on studies in the tors having different effects on the human body (pre- ISBN 978-88-89731-79-6, p. 476-483. Laurent Triolet (France) field of underground salt mines therapy and which vention, therapy, health, speleotherapeutic tourism, PARISE M., 2013, Commission on Artificial Cavities: Tzvika Tsuk (Israel) has developed in many countries, with different hall recreation and relaxation, mining or cave tourism). Activity report 2009-2013. UIS Bulletin, December 2013, Katherin Yanovskaya (Russia) building constructions and cure methodologies, often Thus, for the next four years, the Permanent vol. 56, no. 1, p. 9-10. Boaz Zissu (Israel) erroneous. Commission on Speleotherapy/Commission Perma- PARISE M., 2017, The International Congress of Most of the activities for development of spe- nente de Spéléothérapie (PCS/CPS-UIS) provides Speleology in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2017”. UIS Bul- leotherapy and halotherapy, and scientific results in activities for the development of the directions of

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It can not be used for speleothe- Commission permanente de spéléothérapie underground environmental factors (from the karstic rapy or “speleotherapeutic tourism” or other origin (Commission on Speleotherapy/ Commission de spéléothérapie) caves, salt mines or other origins) specific of location underground space If there are toxic or radioactive and characteristics geological, geochemical, micro- minerals in the area, or if this space is not adapted for the years 2017-2021 (Extended form) biological, etc., or created in surface construction. for the stay of human beings or also if the mining It keeps the existing structure and the board of security is not functional. President: Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania). the Permanent Commission on Speleotherapy/Com- 2. After research to evaluate the possibility of mission Permanente de Spéléothérapie (PCS/CPS- using cavities in the cave or salt mine, or of other ori- Vice President: Pavel SLAVÍK (Czech Republic) - Past President. -UIS) but it is foreseen enlargement and concretisa- gin for use in speleotherapy purposes, may be neces- Vice President: Svetozar DLUHOLUCKY (Slovakia) - Past President. tion activity of the internal working groups. sary multidisciplinary and complex laboratory and Vice President: Ivan S. LEMKO (Ukraine). physiological experimental studies to determine the Among the planned activities to mention curative or relaxing effect of the underground envi- Responsible Secretary and Website: Ovidiu MERA (Romania). the following: ronment in order to establish the medical indications Adjunct Secretaries: Vanja DEBEVEC (Slovenia); Alexandra PLEVAČOVÁ (Czech Republic); and contraindications of the cure, the procedures and Magdalena KOSTRZON (Poland). 1. Developing information methods on the methodology of speleotherapy in this underground PCS/CPS of UIS work; data on the activity of different environment for people suffering from indicated pa- Bibliography Bulletin “SPELEOTHERAPY & HALLOTHERAPY”: speleological centers in the world (state or private thologies, as well as for tourists who may have diffe- INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL BOARD: hospitals with underground sections of speleothera- rent pathologies. Editor in Chief: Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania). py in salt mines or caves of different origins; various 3. These activities will allow the scientific re- Editorial Secretary: Marta HAISAK (Ukraine). state or private (non-medical) institutions that use -qualification of the carstic caves or salt mines or Membrers of Editorial Board: Ioan IETCU (Romania); Ivan S. LEMKO (Ukraine); salt mines or caves of different origins for “speleo- other origins for the different use of the respective Vladimir SVOZIL (Czech Republic); Peter JOVANOVIČ (Slovenia); Ovidiu MERA (Romania); therapeutic - health” tourism or recreation (with or underground spaces for speleotherapy, “speleothera- Ewa CZARNOBILSKA (Poland); Pavel P. GORBENKO (Russia); without additional medical or medical check-ups); peutic - health” tourism or recreation (with or wi- Svetozar DLUHOLUCKY (Slovakia); Oldrich NAVRÁTIL (Czech Republic); Ion SANDU (Romania). their interest in participating at scientific studies and thout additional medical or medical check - ups). the development of the field of speleotherapy / a pa- 4. Resumption of knowledge activity for some Working Group: Speleotherapy in salt mines and salt chambers radigm of studies with which the institution has the karstic caves and salt mines or other origin in diffe- Chairman: Ivan S. LEMKO (Ukraine). opportunity to integrate in the scientific development rent countries and assessing the status of their use for Members: Ioan IETCU (Romania); Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania); Ewa CZARNOBILSKA (Poland); of speleotherapy; meetings for work of the PCS/CPS speleotherapeutic purposes, “speleotherapeutic - he- Ovidiu MERA (Romania); Andrei A. MAYOR (Ukraine); Pavel A. LEVCENKO (Belarus); of UIS (activating the Commission’s website, presen- alth” tourism or recreation, according to the functio- Magdalena PACIOREK (Poland); Andranik G.VOSKANJAN (Armenia). ting information on the UIS website, within the UIS nal legislation in these countries. Advisors Members: Nicholae GRUDNICKI (Romania); Krzysztof CZARNOBILSKI (Poland); Bulletin and the Commission’s Bulletin of Bibliogra- 5. Collaboration of the PCS/CPS of UIS with Claudia CHIAPPINO (Italy). phy and also on the bibliographic platform of the UIS specialists from other UIS commissions as well as as well as in the medical, biological and geo-mining authorized state institutions from different countries Working Group: Halotherapy (speleotherapy in artificial salt chambers) information centers). (according to the legislation on the application of na- Chairman: Pavel P. GORBENKO (Russia). 2. Research activities to assess the possibility tural physicochemical, microclimatic and spa thera- Members: Ivan S. LEMKO (Ukraine); Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania); Ion SANDU (Romania); of some galleries from karst caves and salt or other pies for medical or tourism purposes, already existing (Armenia). mines, for use in speleotherapy purposes (it is envi- in some countries) for realization of planned activi- Andranik G.VOSKANJAN saged procedures and cure of speleotherapy and the ties or for development of speleotherapy and halo- existence of the surface treatment base, as well as by therapy. Working Group: Speleotherapy in carst and other caves medical specialists), for tourism - “speleotherapeu- 6. The XVI International Symposium of Speleo- Chairman: Pavel SLAVÍK (Czech Republic). tic tourism”, involvement in the respective research therapy (2018, October 24 – 28, Zlate Hory, Sanato- Members: Svetozar DLUHOLUCKY (Slovakia); Vierka RAJČANOVÁ (Slovakia); activities of specialized scientific institutions and of rium EDEL, Czech Republic). Vladimir SVOZIL (Czech Republic); Alexandra PLEVAČOVÁ (Czech Republic); societies or associations of specialists, including re- 7. The International Conference of Speleothe- Jarmila ÜBERHUBEROVÁ (Czech Republic); Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania). presentatives of various UIS commissions, taking into rapy and Halotherapy (dedicated to 50 years from Advisors Members: Viorel Traian LASCU (Romania); Ksenija DVORSAC (Slovenia). account the following: the opening the first Underground Section for The- 1. Not all caves and mines or underground are- rapy in Solotvino Salt Mine - Transcarpathian region, Working Group: Assessment of potentially curative underground as have the same microclimatic and physico-chemical Ukraine) (2018, May 24 – 25, Solotvino, Ucraine). environment in caves, mines and other artificial spaces; parameters of underground environment or the same 8. PCS/CPS of UIS workshops on the status of measurement techniques curative properties. The existing data in the field, as speleotherapy and halotherapy in some UIS member Chairman: Iuri SIMIONCA (Romania). well as those that can be accumulated by conduc- countries (2018, 2019, 2020). Members: Peter JOVANOVIČ (Slovenia); Liviu ENACHE (Romania); Marian Romeo CALIN (Romania); ting multidisciplinary underground environmental 9. The XVII International Symposium of Spele- Rudolf PAVUZA (Austria). studies, can allow to discuss and to make a decision otherapy (2021).

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REPORT of activities * REPORT of activities 2013-2017 History of Speleology Commission cave rescue Commission

Commission pour l’histoire de la spéléologie By Christian Dodelin (France), President Photos © Spéléo By Bernard Chirol (France), President UIS Adjunct Secretary 2013-2017 Secours Français [email protected] [email protected]

* Presented at the General Assembly of the UIS vers and speleologists for the numerous informations rd th shared during the passed 4 years. I have personaly ap- (Penritt, Sydney, Australia, 23 -29 of July 2017). a commission Spéléo Secours de l’UIS est ani- Stage spéléo secours ASV - médical preciated the solidarity for my actual main work about mée par une équipe constituée de représen- en République Tchèque An updated version (in French) was produced after the the feminine contribution to history of speleology. tants par continent. Cela permet de faire suivre du 29-30-31 juillet 2013 à Rudice congress. Interested parties can request the file directly Our network is very active and we will try to go l’information et de répondre à des demandes Une vingtaine de sauveteurs de la République from Bernard Chirol. on working together. A real common project has still L de formation. to be decided. I propose to determinate the vectors of Tchèque comprenant un médecin, 6 paramédicaux, 4 - Efrain Mercado (Puerto Rico) the world development of speleology. chefs d’équipe et des sauveteurs suivent cette formation. Dear UIS Officers, dear colleagues, pour l’Amérique latine et Caraibes; You can read the last UIS Bulletins to have our Le stage est animé par deux cadres du SSF (Spé- - Joe Sydney (Australie) reports (N° 57 to 59 - http://www.uis-speleo.org/index. léo Secours Français) de la Fédération Française de t first I must apologize Christian Dodelin for pour l’Océanie; not being with us because of health reasons: php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Item Spéléologie Bernard Tourte et Christian Dodelin. Une id=408). Most of all the June 2017 Bulletin N° 59-1 gi- - Badr Jabbour Gedeon (Liban) traduction française - tchèque a été assurée par Bohus- he felt himself unable to support the long fli- pour les pays d’Asie Mineure; ght to Sydney because of his medical treat- ves a panorama of the activity of the world members. lav Koutecky, l’ancien président du spéléo secours Tchèque. A Who are they? These are all the researchers working - Goto Satoshi (Japon) Ce stage orienté sur l’Assistance Victime fait ment for heart desease. He sent his report for Rescue pour l’Asie; Commission to the UIS Bureau. He is still working for about historical roots of karstology. suite à une succession de formations secours depuis - Tony (Antoniya) Vlaykova (Bulgaria) - [email protected] International caving activity and we wish he could I mean the reknown Trevor Shaw, Stephan Kem- deux ans. Il a pour objectif, de permettre à la Répu- pour l’Europe. recover all his possibilities very soon. I was recently pe, Arrigo Cigna, Paolo Forti and all our Central Euro- blique Tchèque de bénéficier d’un enseignement fai- elected as Delegate by the Administration Council of pean colleagues very active about History in Slovenia, L’historique de la commission est tenu par sant usage des techniques et concepts les plus récents the French Federation of Speleology-FFS and I will try Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, etc. Forgive me for the im- Gyula Hegedus (Hongrie) en matière de spéléo secours. possibility to mention all of them but I have special to help him as possible. Christian is finishing his term as Le stage a été organisé juste après le congrès thoughts for the Austrian Johannes Mattes working Adjunct Secretary of the UIS 2013-2017. de l’UIS en Tchéquie, espérant recevoir des médecins Concerning the HISTORY COMMISSION, I must for Geoscience history meeting in Brazil and for the Formation secours à Englishman Franck Pearson, ending his PhD. venus sur le congrès. Faute de réponse de leur part remember the beginning for me, old caver but young c’est l’équipe Tchèque qui en a bénéficié. UIS member. Personaly, I could obtain some results when l’international pour 2013 To learn more you can read the 523 pages of the working about world caving history since the Brno Cette année 2013 aura vu 5 actions de forma- book published during Postojna meeting for the 50th Conference (2013). tion secours spéléo après le congrès UIS à Brno en- Stage spéléo secours en Croatie Birthday of the creation of the UIS (Labegalini, 2015). Leaving my regional researches in France, I have République Tchèque: du 14 au 22 septembre 2013 The commission was managed by the Austrian understood lately the richness of historical datas from Animé par Bernard Tourte et Christian Dode- colleague Karl Mais. Hubert Trimmel was temporary every country. First, the Rhône-Alpes Region (around Lyon) Stage spéléo secours au Brésil lin dans le cadre in charge after Karl’s death but Hubert’s destiny made du 7 au 13 septembre 2013 du programme Pro- he had no time to work on it. In Brno (2013), a new has published the lonely book speaking about caving in Cyprus (Chirol, Savoi, 2015). Avec Jean François Perret. Compte rendu détaillé en teus. Ci après le lien President had to be found. Friedhardt Knolle and I de- suivant le lien suivant: http://speleo-secours-francais. pour avoir le conte- cided to candidate for the direction of the commission. At the end of 2015 I have discovered when le- arning about our greek colleague Anna Petrocheilou fr/images/stories/international/CR_formation_Bre- nu détaillé du sta- Since 2013, we try to keep the contact with his- (1984) that a labyrinth was studied in Crete. This la- sil_2013.pdf ge: http://www.spe- torian cavers all over the world. We meet during the byrinth was maped. This is the most ancient cave-map Ce stage pour 50 stagiaires a été animé par des leo-secours-francais. Conferences and have private meetings in the respective of the world (1415 published 1417). We used to con- membres du SSF. «Cette année, l’équipe de cadres com/images/sto- countries of Europe and many contacts by electronic or sider the Stufe di Nerone map by Agricola as the most français est riche et variée avec cinq cadres pour ré- postal mails. We try to inform the community about our ries/international/ ancient one (1546). works and to help each other when some subjects need. pondre aux attentesdes stagiaires: deux conseillers Stage%20splo%20 In 2017, as I told you, I went on working for Although we must regret our lack of contacts techniques nationaux, deux conseillers techniques secours%20en%20 my database about female contribution to speleology with American cavers, most of all with US cavers and départementaux (un médecin urgentiste, référent CROATIE%20CR%20 (sport and science). Because of the numerous world speleologists, we must thank our American collea- médical, et un technicien référent plongée), ain- complet.pdf. Le sta- federations datas, I can say that I am rich in knowledges gue Joe Douglas for his important help. Perhaps this si qu’un chef d’équipe évacuation et plongée. Pour ge s’est déroulé au and I hope to do the best to diffuse them and I thank Sydney Conference will help to create more links be- le Brésil, en plus d’un cadre technique aguerri et profit d’une vingtai- once again the different federations for their help. tween the old Europe and the rest of the world for très compétent, nous avons désigné au début de la ne de spéléologues historical survey. formation quatre cadres stagiaires pour préparer venus des pays des However I must thank all the karstologists, ca- l’autonomie des équipes de formation brésiliennes.» Balkans.

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Formation binationale Dominique Beau (ASV). Stage spéléo secours en Tunisie Enfin les spéléos doivent s’impliquer dans le se- Ukraine et Russie 19 Participants (2 femmes et 17 hommes): 2 Angle- Septembre du 26 au 28 inclus, 2014 cours, il en va de la liberté de pratique de l’activité. du 14 au 21 septembre 2013 terre, 1 Canada, 1 espagnol vivant au Chili, 1 Mexique, 6 Est assuré par une équipe SSF d’Alsace au pro- En 2014: secours importants en Allemagne puis au à Sudak en Crimée Brésil, 1 Ukraine, 2 Suisse, 3 République Tchèque, 2 Espagne. fit des spéléos tunisiens, une quarantaine venant de Pérou. Ce stage animé par une équipe plongée et te- 11 clubs, ainsi que deux spéléos algériens. Le stage a “In 2014, in different countries occurred several chnique classique du SSF a profité à 23 stagiaires. Il été animé par David Lippart Bruno Goergler, Michel accidents, like every year. When the cavers are inves- a été animé par Jean Michel Vallon, Frédéric Martin, Spenle, Eric Zipper. ted inside the cave rescue organization, the cavers find Bernard Abdilla et Wym Cuyvers. Le compte rendu good condition in case of rescue. The unfortunate ac- détaillé peut être vu avec le lien suivant: http://www. Rencontres nationales cident in Germany is an opportunity to tell the cavers and federation of caving: “you have to be present in the speleo-secours-francais.com/images/stories/internatio- spéléo secours Suisse cave rescue organization at all the levels if you want nal/stage%20SSF%20CR%20SUDAK_7.pdf Samedi 29 et dimanche 30 novembre Participation de Christian Dodelin à ces deux keep a free practice”. Exercice spéléo secours Franco – Belge jours de formation et d’information les 9 – 10 et 11 novembre 2013 Training Préparation du RIS 2015 en Savoie So the first principal action of the rescue com- Sur le réseau souterrain de la commune des La 13° rencontre internationale de la Commis- mission was to propose agreement for training, when Déserts: Trou du garde- Creux de la cavale. sion Spéléo Secours de l’UIS. several countries work together. Ce sont 43 Belges, 2 Luxembourgeois, 29 spé- Ces rencontres se tiendront du 16 au 19 avril These trainings have serious program, effi- léos du SSF Savoie qui ont mis leur moyens en com- 2015 en Suisse à: le Camp, Vaumarcus. Un pré camp ciency leaders and update techniques. For receive mun pour un exercice secours de grande ampleur. se tiendra pour ceux qui le souhaitent du 13 au 15 agreement the leader send the project with the dates, L’exercice s’est déroulé dans le réseau souterrain avril 2015. countries concerned, and program; and after training du Trou du garde-cavale-Périn de 48 kilomètres de C’est le spéléo secours suisse qui se charge de he send a report. développement pour 310 m de profondeur. Desvic- l’organisation logistique de cette rencontre. Plusieurs For 2014 we received 5 trainings in Europe, times sont à retrouver par les 3 entrées entrainant réunions ponctuent cette préparation et je suis allé à Africa, and South America, often managed by French la mise en place de toutes les techniques de gestion, l’une d’entre elle à Berne le 11 juin 2014. cavers. recherche, communication, médical, désobstruction, Le site concernant ces rencontres est: www.spe- 130 cavers from 15 countries: Peru, France, ASV, évacuation. Cet exercice a été la première action leosecours.ch/LeCamp2015/ Tunisia, Algeria, United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine, secours entre plusieurs pays européens à recevoir Spain, Chile, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, Suisse, l’agrément de la commission spéléo secours de la fé- Commission secours de la FSE Russia, and Romania. dération européenne de spéléologie. Roumanie FSE à Baille Herculane Rescue training Formations 2014 21 au 24 aout 2014 8 to 14 September 2014 EuroSpeleo Forum 9th edition Nueva Cajamarca – Peru

Exercice spéléo secours Balkans 2014 Stage international ASV “Where the Carpathians meet the Danube” It was for Cavers in Peru by team French (Spe- Au mois de novembre 2014 12 au 15 novembre 2014 www.speleoevent.ro leo Secours Français). The leader was Jean François Il y avait l’exercice spéléo-secours internatio- Organisé par le SSF à La chapelle en Vercors a 20 years of Romanian Federation of Speleology Perret for 27 trainees and 3 leaders. nal à l’organisation de secours montagnards serbe, rassemblé 17 spéléos venant de Russie, République avec participation des spéléos de Slovénie, Croatie, Tchèque et Roumanie. Il a été animé par Dominique Nous avons en même temps et sur le même lieu Rescue training Bulgarie, Serbie, Bosnie et Herzégovine, Roumanie et Beau, France Rocourt, Wim Cuyder, Olivier Lanet. une réunion anniversaire de la création de la fédéra- 26 to 28 September 2014 Grèce à Miroc en Serbie. Un exercice secours avec le SSf26 a conclu ces deux tion spéléo roumaine et une réunion FSE. Nous en Zaghouan – Tunisie stages: profitons pour réunir la commission secours euro- It was for Tunisian cavers by French team of Al- Stages péenne. Le principal thème abordé est en lien avec le sace (Speleo Secours Français). The leader was Eric Formation secours au Pérou secours récent en Bavière. Les pays présents adoptent Zipper for 24 trainees from Tunisia, 2 trainees from Stage spéléo secours international Du 8 au 14 septembre 2014 quelques points concernant les renforts entre pays en Algeria and 4 leaders from France. The logistic was à La Chapelle en Vercors À Nueva Cajamarca, organisé par le SSF et le cas de secours importants. Notamment: l’unité des by 15 cavers from Tunisia. 8 novembre au 15 novembre 2014 Pérou. Ce stage a été animé par Jean François Per- techniques de secours basée sur l’enseignement du Report: http://www.speleo-tunisie.com/ Organisé par le SSF ret, Patrick Romieu, James Apaestegui, pour 27 sta- SSF, le respect des règles de demande de renfort du Ce stage est agréé par la FSE (Fédération Spé- giaires péruviens. pays demandeur, ne pas s’imposer sur un site de se- International rescue training léo Européenne) et l’UIS (Union Internationale de cours. Les équipes de secours sont invités à trouver 8 to 15 November 2014 Spéléologie). Stage spéléo secours en Chine une place significative dans l’organisation des secours La Chapelle en Vercors – France Encadrement permanent: Bernard Tourte, Novembre 2014 de leur propres pays. A la lumière du secours en Al- Organized by S.S. France for 19 trainees who Christian Dodelin. Cadres d’appoints: Olivier Lanet Organisé par des cadres SSF: Eric sanson, Bru- lemagne il est évident encore une fois que la gestion come from: United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine, (plongée), Rafael Chevalier (radio-communication), no Hugon, Jean Bottazzi. des secours spéléos soit confiée à des spéléologues. Spain, Chile, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, Suisse.

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The leaders are Bernard Tourte and Christian Dode- poser et orienter si besoin des modifications. • Un stage ASV, comprenant vingt-deux spéléo- lin from France. 3 – Aider l’organisation dans le choix des sites logues, coordonné par Wim Cuivers et Rychagov We find the report: http://www.speleo-secours- et lieux d’enseignement. • Sergey (responsable Russie des formations -francais.com/images/stories/international/Stage%20 4 – Apporter l’expérience du Spéléo secours ASV qui, en septembre 2014, a participé à une for- international%20speleo-secours%20France%202014.pdf français lors des contacts avec les autorités locales. mation ASV à la chapelle en Vercors avec huit spélé- 4 cadres brésiliens et 3 cadres français (SSF) ologues russes. International rescue training pour 37 stagiaires. • Un stage plongée secours qui a regroupé trei- assistance victim ze spéléo-plongeurs, encadré par Cédric Lacharmoi- se, Jean-Michel Vallon et Akimov Vladimir pour sa 12 to 15 November 2014 Stage spéléo secours en Chine gestion organisationnelle russe. La Chapelle en Vercors – France 28 octobre au 4 novembre 2015 Pour ces sessions, la quasi-totalité du matériel This training was in the same time and place Massif de la Shuanghe Guizhou secours spéléo a été fournie pas les Russes, bouteilles than the technique training. We can have common Organisé par des cadres SSF: Eric sanson, Bru- de plongée comprises. exercise in a big system. It was 19 trainees from Rus- no Hugon, Jean Bottazzi. Le seul matériel amené de France a été: sia, Czech Republic, and Romania. The leader was Participants: 31 spéléos dont 25 stagiaires, 5 • Trois TPS Dominique Beau from France. cadres et 1 personne pour la logistique. Les spéléos • Deux ensembles de recherche en siphon (fla- Chinois viennent de 9 provinces différentes. Rescue training in China: 31 cavers coming Rescue training from 9 different provinces. sheurs, ardoise, cookies) 25 October to 2 November 2014 • Vingt mètres de fil d’Ariane avec l’âme élec- Cordisburgo (Minas Gerais) - Brazil trique pour la communication. This training is organized for Brazilian cavers Formation spéléo-secours and rescuers with collaboration of French cavers of international dans l’Oural S.S.F. Leader was Jean François Perret from France Du 3 au 12 Juillet 2015 (S.S.F), every year since 2009. At each training 40 at 50 cavers follow the formation. La session de formation qui s’est déroulée était envisagée depuis près de deux ans. C’est Jean-Michel Cave rescue exercice Balkans 2014 Vallon qui a joué le rôle de coordinateur SSF pour sa November 2014 mise en place, soit un important travail préparatoire, It was an exercise international organized by dont une reconnaissance sur le terrain en juillet 2014 Serbia mountaineering rescue, with Slovenia, Croa- afin de bien s’assurer de la faisabilité du projet. tia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Romania and Greece at Miroc in Serbia. But we don’t receive Ce sont au total program, report… trois stages qui ont été réalisés. Comme à chaque fois, des interprètes ont été mobili- • Un stage E/CE co- Activité en 2015 sés pour ce séminaire dont Aleksey Tereschenko, qui ordonné par Bernard était une nouvelle fois de la partie vu qu’il était déjà La commission secours UIS a eu son 13° ras- Tourte et Cheredni- présent lors du stage en Crimée qui s’est déroulé il y a chenko Filippe (res- semblement international à Vaumarcus du 15 au 19 deux ans. Au total, cinq interprètes sont venus épau- ponsable Russie des avril 2015. 109 participants sont venus de 15 pays ler l’équipe d’encadrement. Certains d’entre eux, non formations techni- différents. spéléologues, ont clairement été mis à rude épreu- ques secours). Cette Le SSF a contribué aux formations internatio- ve, du matin au soir, pour que l’information ransmise session rassemblait nales avec des stages organisés au Brésil, en Russie puisse être comprise par tous. trente-cinq partici- et en Chine. Ces stages ont été animés par 10 cadres pants. différents, concernés 137 stagiaires dans trois domai- Le projet initial est d’incorporer un stage spéléo nes de compétences: équipier-chef d’équipe, assistan- secours en camp pré-congrès de la deuxième rencon- ce victime et plongée. tre internationale de la Fédération asiatique de spé- léologie. Le projet n’avait que sept stagiaires inscrits La formation du Brésil se déroule au centre du une semaine avant le stage. Jean Bottazzi a ouvert le pays, dans la petite ville de Mambaí, au nord-est de projet aux spéléologues chinois et proposé le site de l’Etat du Goiás et au coeur de la zone karstique. La la Shanghe. Dans les quatre jours qui ont suivi vingt formation s’est déroulée du 5 au 13 septembre 2015. trois candidats se manifestaient alors que par ailleurs Objectifs : quatre Malaisiens pressentis n’avaient pu obtenir leur 1 – Évaluer pédagogiquement les cadres brésiliens. visa. Finalement, le stage se fait avec des spéléolo- 2 – Valider le programme de la formation, pro- gues chinois venus de différentes régions.

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STAGE EQUIPIER / CHEF D’EQUIPE Allemagne, Arabie Saoudite, Bahreïn, Bulgarie, Ca- nombreux stagiaires ont fait plusieurs fois le même stage). MISSION D’EVALUATION DES FORMATEURS nada, Corée, Egypte, Géorgie, Hollande, Liban, Nou- Sur les stages techniques la moyenne est d’environ BRESILIENS velle Zélande, Pologne, Royaume Uni, République 40/45 stagiaires. Sur les stages spécifiques, elle est Brésil, 4 au 11 septembre 2016 Tchèque, USA. d’environ 15 stagiaires. La formation se déroule dans le Sud du pays L’encadrement est constitué en général de 4 ca- dans l’Etat du Sao Paolo, dans le Parc Naturel du Pe- Stages au Brésil dres du SSF et 4 cadres brésiliens. tar (Parque Estadual Turistico do Alto Ribeira), au Spécialisé gestion et Assistance victime. Ce sta- Actuellement, le potentiel d’encadrement des Sud-Ouest de l’Etat et dans un massif montagneux au ge a eu lieu au printemps et dirigé par Jean François Brésiliens par les stages techniques de base est de 8 ins- coeur de la zone karstique. Les objectifs. Perret au profit de 15 stagiaires du Brésil (dont un tructeurs (notion Brésilienne). 1 – Valider le programme de la formation, pro- mexicain). Une réserve de quatre ou cinq instructeurs sta- poser et orienter si besoin des modifications. Projet d’autres stages au Brésil sur les transmis- giaires supplémentaires devrait pouvoir faire augmen- 2 – Aider l’organisation dans le choix des sites sions, la plongée avec le SSF. ter ce nombre rapidement. et lieux d’enseignement. Nous allons pouvoir valider rapidement (je pen- 3 – Appuyer la diffusion et la justification des Projet de stage en Israël par le SSF se l’année prochaine) certains de ces instructeurs pour techniques employées. Stage international en Bulgarie l’enseignement des spécialités ASV et gestion. Formation en 2016 4 – Evaluer pédagogiquement les cadres brésiliens. en juillet par la Bulgarie La provenance des stagiaires spéléos est assez 10 cadres dont 3 Français pour 36 stagiaires. diffuse mais ce sont les clubs les plus dynamiques qui fournissent le plus de stagiaires et de cadres. Pérou 2016 Stage SSF plongée international Du 27 août au 30 août 2016 L’EGB de Brasilia (DF de Brasilia), le Bambui de Belo en juillet 2017 Horizonte (Minas Gérais) sont les deux plus gros viviers. Nueva Cajamarca, Département de San Martin Il faut rajouter les clubs de Sao Paulo, de Rio de 4 Cadres dont 2 SSF pour 14 stagiaires. Janeiro et quelques membres de petits clubs de divers Conclusion états. Il ne faut pas oublier quelques individuels. Stages gestion de sauvetage & Les actions communes avec le Brésil correspon- Pour les stagiaires non spéléos, ils sont surtout Assistance Victime dent à un programme sur le long terme. originaires des pompiers militaires des états ou de la Du 11 au 18 juin 2016 «Quelques chiffres: Depuis 2009, 11 stages co- police fédérale ou se déroule les stages. Formosa, Goiás, BRESIL -organisés par le SSF au Brésil dont quatre stages spé- Il y a également les guides et directeurs des parcs Pour le stage gestion 16 stagiaires pour 4 ca- cialisés (2 gestion, 2 ASV). d’état. dres dont 2 SSF. Pour le stage ASV 22 stagiaires pour Environ 350 participants au total (par contre de Jean François Perret » 4 cadres dont 2 SSF.

Stage international spéléo-secours De 2013 à 2017 en France Dans le Doubs en octobre 2016 26 stages ont été organisés au profit de 616 stagiaires. Il a été animé par 9 spéléos au profit de 28 sta- Le thème secours se décline avec les techniques d’évacuation, de gestion, d’assistance victime, trans- giaires, venus d’Irlande, Suisse, Pays Bas, Portugal, mission radio, plongée, désobstruction. Espagne, Slovénie, Grèce, Israel, Chili. La France est l’un des organisateurs principaux ainsi que la Bulgarie pour les pays des Balkans.

35 pays bénéficiaires: Allemagne, Arabie Saoudite, Bahreïn, Belgique, Brésil, Bulgarie, Canada, Chili, Chine, Corée, Croatie, Egypte, Espagne, France, Géorgie, Grèce, Hollande, Hongrie, Irlande, Israël, Liban, Mexique, Nouvelle Zélan- de, Pérou, Pologne, Portugal, Roumanie, Royaume Uni, République Tchèque, Russie, Slovénie, Suisse, Tunisie, Ukraine, USA. Les recherches et production de RADIOS SOUTERRAINES (transmission par le sol) menées par la Suis- Formation en 2017 se, la France et le Royaume Uni profitent à tous les pays. Stage à Dubaï WE Du 24 février au 4 mars 2017 Animé par le SSF, Philippe Bence et Laurent Chal- vet s’est adressé à 24 stagiaires séjournant à Dubaï et xplorant des cavités dans le Sultanat d’Oman. La provenance des stagiaires est de 15 pays différents:

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ACTIVITY REPORT for the period of 2013-2017. Alexander Klimchouk International Symposium on Hierar- (Ukraine) was re-elected as the President, and Phi- chical Flow Systems in Karst Regions, held at lippe Audra (France) and Jo De Waele (Italy) were the Eotvos Lorand University Budapest, Hungary, in Karst Hydrogeology and elected as Vice-Presidents. These voting results have 4-7 September 2013 (co-sponsored by the IAH Karst been approved by the UIS General Assembly at the Commission and the UIS KHS Commission). The ICS-16 in Brno. Symposium was attended by 140 participants. The Speleogenesis COMMISSION abstract & field guidebook can be downloaded via 5 July 2017 Speleogenesis.info this link: http://speleogenesis.info/directory/karstbase/ pdf/seka_pdf13525.pdf; By Alexander Klimchouk (Ukraine), President a scientific network The major role of the KHS Commission is to fa- International Conference on Hypogene [email protected] cilitate an exchange of information and communica- Cave Morphologies, held at the Gerace Research http://speleogenesis.info/ tion between researchers and teams and to maintain Centre (GRC) on San Salvador Island, The Baha- Background and Goals a favorable environment for the emergence of various mas, 2-7 February 2014 (co-sponsored by the US collaboration initiatives and research projects. Karst Water Institute and the UIS KHS Commission). The UIS Commission on Karst Hydroge- sion is open to any researcher interested in its activity, sharing The Commission efficiently performs this role by The paper and abstract book can be downloaded ology and Speleogenesis (KHS Commission) its goals and registered to the Speleogenesis website. Curren- developing and maintaining a web-based portal Spe- via this link: http://karstwaters.org/wp-content/uploa- started in 1994 as a Working Group with the tly (as for July 5th 2017), 1111 researchers from 90 nations leogenesis.info (scientific network) (http://speleogene- ds/2015/04/SP18_Hypogene1.pdf; same name. In 1997 it had been upgraded to have registered at the website and are considered as affiliate sis.info/). The site has become a major hub of activity International Conference on Groundwa- the Commission by the UIS General Assembly members of the Commission (this number was 865 before the and information not only for the KHS Commission but ter in Karst, held at the University of Birmingham, (ICS-12, Switzerland). The Commission had previous Congress in 2013). The members regularly receive for much wider circles of scholars and institutions in- UK, 20-26 June 2015 (co-sponsored by the IAH Karst been re-approved for the periods of 2002- e-mail notifications and circulars on various aspects of the volved into karst and geospeleology studies. In 2012, Commission, IGCP-598 and the UIS KHS Commis- 2005, 2005-2009, 2010-2013, and 2013- Commission activity and have an access to a number of services the IAH Commission on Karst Hydrogeology has offi- sion). Details on this conference can be found via this 2017 by the UIS General Assemblies at the and tools of the Speleogenesis website. ICS-13 held in Brazil (2001), ICS-14 held in cially joined the UIS KHS Commission in supporting link: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/kgatb/index.aspx; Greece and ICS-15 held in USA (2009), and the Speleogenesis.info website, which is now maintai- International Conference Deep Karst The Commission Bureau and officers ned as a joint project of the two commissions. 2016: Origins, Resources, and Management ICS-16 held in Czech (2013). The Executive Bureau of the KHS Commission was for- During the last year, work is underway to prepa- of Hypogene Karst, held at Carlsbad, New Me- med in 2002 and consisted of 21 members from 10 nations. In re the translation of the website for a new, technologi- xico USA, 11-14 April 2016, (organized by the Na- The principal goal of the Commission 2013, the Commission had adopted some changes in its struc- cally advanced platform. This work is still ongoing and tional Cave and Karst Research Institute on behalf is to disseminate information and promote ture and management, and the Bureau had been expanded to the launch of a new website is expected this fall. of the UIS KHS Commission). The 203-page pro- scientific co-operation and research in the consist of 40 members from 15 nations: field of karst hydrogeology, with special em- On behalf of the Commission, I’d like to extend ceedings volume containing 31 peer-reviewed pa- phasis to speleogenesis as the core problem Alexander, Calvin; USA Hauselmann, Philipp; Switzerland our thanks to the Speleogenesis webmaster Alexey pers by scientists from 10 countries can be down- of the permeability development in soluble Audra, Philippe; France Jeannin, Pierre-Yves; Switzerland Kopchinskiy (Austria) for his outstanding continued loaded via this link: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ rocks and of the evolution of karst aquifers. Auler, Augusto; Brazil Kempe, Stephen; Germany work on the development and technical maintenance deepkarst_2016/2016proceedings.pdf. Blackeagle, Cory; USA Klimchouk, Alexander; Ukraine of the Speleogenesis website. The KHS Commission members also participated and presented papers at a number of other scientific The Commission promotes Boston, Penny; USA Kranjc, Andrej; Slovenia Covington, Matthew; USA Lauritzen, Stein-Erik; Norway HypoKarst Project meetings on karst hydrogeology and general speleology. researches in the field in three De Waele, Jo; Italy Lowe, David; UK During the period of 2013-2017, the Com- principal ways: Doctor, Daniel; USA Mihevc, Andrej; Slovenia mission continued it’s HypoKarst Project (started in Publications 1) By sponsoring and organizing a fra- Dreybrodt, Wolfgang; Germany Mylroie, John; USA 2007), aimed to coordinate and promote hypogene During the last four years, the Commission mework for communication and information Dublyansky, Yuri; Austria Osborne, Armstrong; Australia karst and speleogenesis research. The main objective members have produced several hundred papers in exchange between interested workers throu- Eröss, Anita; Hungary Palmer, Arthur; USA of this project is to advance our understanding of solu- various international journals, books and conference gh different means, including web site, elec- Faulkner, Trevor; UK Plan, Lukas; Austria tion conduit and void development in those parts of the proceedings. Many of these publications are included tronic and printed circulars, journals, etc. Ford, Derek; Canada Sasowsky, Ira; USA sedimentary cover that lie below the domain of shallow in KarstBase bibliography system (http://speleoge- 2) By identifying specific priority topics Forti, Paolo;Italy Schindel, Geary; USA unconfined groundwater flow systems. The HypoKarst nesis.info/directory/karstbase/). Major volumes pre- (specific objectives) and running respective Frumkin, Amos; Israel Schwartz, Benjamin; USA Project also aims to raise an awareness of researchers pared by the Commission members are as follows: time-defined projects aimed to promote rese- Gabrovsek, Franci; Slovenia Sustersic, France; Slovenia and practitioners about the importance, specific nature, Klimchouk, A., Sasowsky, I, Mylroie, J., En- arches in specific areas and result in funda- Gines, Joaquin; Spain Veni, George; USA and characteristics of hypogene karst, and to coordina- gel, S.A., Engel A.S. (Eds.), 2014. Hypogene Cave mental publications on these topics. Goldscheider, Nico; Germany White, Susan; Australia te research efforts in the field. The project progressed Morphologies. Karst Water Institute, USA, 103 pp. 3) By sponsoring and assisting in orga- Groves, Chris; USA White, William; USA through several major events and publications, conduc- (http://karstwaters.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ nization of scientific meetings, as well as the- Gunn, John; UK Worthington, Stephen; Canada ted during the reporting period (see below). SP18_Hypogene1.pdf). matic symposia and sessions at large scienti- Chavez, Todd, and Reehling, Pete (Eds.), 2016. fic conferences and congresses. The members of the Executive Bureau (“core mem- Scientific Meetings Proceedings of DeepKarst 2016: Origins, Re- bers” of the Commission) supervise the Commission activity During the reporting period the KHS Commis- sources, and Management of Hypogene Karst. Membership and vote on all related questions. Also in 2013, an electronic sion has sponsored / co-organized several important NCKRI, Carlsbad, NM, 203 pp. (http://scholarcom- The membership in the KHS Commis- voting has been conducted to elect the Commission officers scientific meetings: mons.usf.edu/deepkarst_2016/2016proceedings.pdf).

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Klimchouk, A., N. Palmer, A., De Waele, J., S. Au- Closing Remarks 2 - International Programme for Cave nights temperature on the surface of the planet is ler, A., Audra, P. (Eds.), 2017. Hypogene Karst Re- The UIS KHS Commission continued to be very Research (IPCR). Leaders of the programme tens of degrees of Celcium colder than that in the gions and Caves of the World. Springer, 970 pp. active during the reporting period. It has success- were Prof. Yavor Shopov from Sofia University, caves below. Therefore cave entrances can be ea- (http://www.springer.com/cn/book/9783319533476). fully performed its role in advancing studies in the Bulgaria, and Prof. Giovanni Badino, from Univer- sily located by a thermal vision camera located on th The latter book, consisting of 61 chapters and field of karst hydrogeology and speleogenesis and in sity of Torino, Italy. Unfortunately after the 17 In- space probes or ROVs. We successfully performed presenting a global overview of hypogene karst re- fostering scientific cooperation in the field. Intense ternational Congress of Speleology (ICS), held in preliminary remote locations of cave entrances on gions and caves, is a major effort and achievement of publication and organizational activity of many Com- Australia on August this year the co-leader of this Earth to optimize this technique for work on Mars. the Commission during the last years. mission members have successfully promoted the programme, Prof. Giovanni Badino, passed away So far there are no any cave known on Mars, but In 2017, arrangements were made, and the roles of speleogenetic studies in karst hydrogeology, (see his obtuary on page 116). there are sure indirect indicators of their existence Call for Papers was released, for a Special Issue of Ge- reservoir characterization, and geological enginee- This is very significant loss for the entire spe- Search for caves on Mars involves studies ofluids (Wiley-Hindawi) titled “Focused Reactive ring. The importance of speleogenetic studies is get- leological community, because Giovanni was the of volcanic caves. Commission president started Fluid Flow in the Upper Crust: Processes and ting increasingly recognized in the broad geoscience best expert in cave climate. This will produce sig- collaboration on such specific studies with the Uni- Manifestations of Hypogene Karstification”, community. nificant delay in development of this International ted States-based company 4th Planet Logistics, LLC. to be edited by the Commission members Alexander Many initiatives and projects of the KHS Com- Programme, but I will do my best to find a proper https://4thplanetlogistics.com/ which was founded Klimchouk, Yuri Dublyansky, Serdar Bayari, and Bog- mission are ongoing and are projected into future. substitute of him. for the purpose of designing, building and evalua- dan Onac. The deadline for paper submission for this The topic remains fresh and intensely evolving. The- The first programme is very interesting, be- ting human habitat structures and related support volume was October 27, 2017, and the expected pu- refore, the Commission should continue its work for cause it has the potential to create much better blication date is February 2018. components for utilization on the Moon, Mars and the next period. links between scientific and caving activities of beyond. Its overarching goal is to create and test After serving as a Commission President since UIS. It aims to detect and locate new unknown ca- various habitats from naturally occurring terres- Cooperation with other its establishment in 1997, I am resigning and will not karst organizations ves and will be extremely helpful to expand cave trial lava tubes analogous to the Moon and Mars. run for this position for the next period. My attempt exploration in new regions. This way science will We intend to do such test in a special base in a The UIS KHS Commission enjoys an excellent to organize an electronic election of Commission help for development of the cave explorations. It volcanic cave in Island. collaboration with the IAH Karst Commission (co- officers prior the Congress in Sydney was not suc- will be very helpful to find new caves in hardly ac- Such studies are at the frontier of the human -chairs Dr. Nico Goldscheider and Dr. Neven Kresic). cessful as no nominations for a President and Vice- cessible regions and even on other planets. Remote exploration of other planets and have the potential Several Commission members were involved in the -Presidents have been received after the call released finding of new caves is very important for future IAH-supported WOKAM (World World Karst Aquifer on 12 June, 2017. It remains, therefore, the task of a to attract the attention of the international scienti- manned exploration of Mars and the Moon. Mapping) Project. Commission meeting during the upcoming Congress fic community and the general public to UIS activi- In 2013-2014 the KHS Commission strongly su- to appoint the officers and give a new impulse to the Mars has much weaker magnetic field and ties and achievements. pported the effort to create the Karst Division of the Commission activity. lower density of atmosphere regarding the Earth. Operation of RLC program needs some hi- Geological Society of America, culminating in its for- These results in very high cosmic radiation dose ghly specific, rare and expensive equipment, which mal establishment in 2014. Several Commission mem- Acknowledgements rate on the surface of Mars. Radiation measure- is not available within UIS or any of its members bers (Cory Blackeagle, George Veni, Calvin Alexander, I am deeply indebted to many colleagues, espe- ments on the surface of Mars demonstrated that or any of the programme members. So efforts of and Penny Boston) were instrumental in this effort. cially to the Commission Bureau members, for their dose rate which will receive an astronaut there is the commission were focused on obtaining of fun- strong support, encouragement, and cooperation in around 15 times higher than Dose Limits for Ra- ding to purchase and build proper equipment for Sponsors pursuing the Commission goals and tasks. diation Workers and 750 times higher than Dose the operation of RLC programme. We wrote four During the reporting period, the UIS KHS Commis- Limits for general public. Therefore manned explo- research projects to get such funding. The third of sion had no external sponsorship. UIS has provided USD ration of Mars requires using of immediate shelters them is under consideration. It is a part of a Eu- 150 a year in support of the Speleogenesis website hosting. of astronauts during the initial stages of the planet ropean project for a Center for Supreme Achieve- exploration. Only natural shelters, which can be ments. found there are caves. Daily variations of the surfa- The forthcoming research project to support ACTIVITY REPORT ce temperature on Mars reach 110-120 degrees of the RLC programme was approved for funding by Celcium. Temperature inside caves does not vary a research grant of Bulgarian Science Foundation Physical Chemistry, and Hydro- during day-and-night. It is constant (in the frames after very taught competition. Under this grant the of one degree) even during the year. So location Commission will be able to buy the thermal vision of caves on Mars can be of vital importance for camera and a special drone necessary to perform geology of Karst COMMISSION future manned exploration of the planet, because the field research of the RLC programme. So latter By Yavor Shopov (Bulgaria), President such caves are appropriate for storage chambers this winter we will have all necessary equipment [email protected] and shelters of astronauts (Shopov, 2017). to start the field work of this programme. This pro- We develop a new technique for remote lo- ject involves a strong team of professional carto- he UIS Commission on Physical Chemistry 1 - “Techniques for Remote Location of cation of cave entrances using thermal vision tech- graphers from the Department of Cartography and and Hydrogeology of Karst has 134 mem- Caves” (RLC) using thermal vision and UV-imaging nique. It aims to locate new unknown caves using GIS of Sofia University and all cave cartographers bers from 40 countries. Recently the main techniques with project leaders Prof. Yavor Shopov thermal vision camera, which visualize tempera- from Bulgarian Federation of Speleology to be able Tactivity of the commission is related to its from Sofia University, Bulgaria, and Dr. Ivo Baroň ture difference on the air coming from the cave to produce quality integrated underground and International Programs: from Museum of Natural History in Vienna, Austria. and that of the surrounding areas. During Martian surface maps of the new caves, which we intend

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SAMPLE DESCRIBED IN THIS DATABASE MIGHT Jan Urban (Poland), President - [email protected] We have an European research project just appro- SAVE MANY SPELEOTHEMS IN CAVES! HELP US Rudolf Pavuza (Austria), Vice-President - [email protected] ved for such funding. It will allow to start field TO SAVE MORE SPELEOTHEMS! Hartmut Simmert (Germany), Secretary - [email protected] measurements in the frames of IPCR programme. In order to reduce the amount of unneces- Prof. Yavor Shopov sary sampling of speleothems Commission also started collaboration with Speleothem Isotopes President of the Commission on Physical Chemistry Functionaries of the Commission: Publications Synthesis and AnaLysis (SISAL) working group of and Hydrogeology of Karst Jiří Kopecký (Honorary President) • The booklet of abstracts (50 pp.) and field- the largest paleoclimatic community PAGES Past István Eszterhás (Honorary President) -session guidebook (12 pp.) were published by the Jan Urban (President) Global Change to build a database of all speleo- Reference organizers of the 13th International Symposium on Shopov Y. (2017), Using thermal vision cameras Rudolf Pavuza (Vice-President) them records (and samples) available worldwide Pseudokarst and distributed among its participants. for further research. It will generate a global-scale for remote location of caves on Mars for immediate Hartmut Simmert (Secretary) Pseudokarst Commission Newsletter has database available to the paleoclimate community. shelters for astronauts and storage chambers Journal of • The SISAL brings together speleothem scientists, Aeronautics & Aerospace Engineering, May 2017, Volu- Members: Jiří Adamovič, Ahmad Afrasibian, been issued once a year in two languages: English speleothem-process modelers, statisticians and cli- me 6, Issue 2, 64. Ivo Baroň, Pavel Bella, John Dunkley, Ludovít and German. Editors of the issues were: Jan Urban, mate modelers to develop a global data synthesis Gaál, William R. Halliday, Erich Knust, Jan Lenart, Rudolf Pavuza and Christa Pfarr. During the reported that can be used both to explore past climate chan- Włodzimierz Margielewski, Jan Paul van der Pas, period two issues were published: Nº 26 (2016) and Juan Ramón Vidal Romani, Hartmut Simmert, ges and in model evaluation. We are planning to Nº 27 (2017). The Newsletter is still distributed both Rabbe Sjöberg, Herman de Swart, George Szentes, Maurizio Tavagnutti, Marcos Vaqueiro Rodriguez, in digital version by internet and in printed copies Marina Vdovets, Josef Wagner, Karel Žák. by mail. Both issues include 7 scientific or popular- ACTIVITY REPORT -scientific papers as well as several short notices, uring the reported period three new mem- event announcements and reports. bers were adopted into the Commission, • The reports on the 13th International Sym- Archaeology and while three not active (for many years) per- posium on Pseudokarst, were published in the UIS sons were removed. D Bulletin 58, 1/2016 (pp. 13-17), Pseudokarst News- Palaeontology COMMISSION letter no. 26/2016 (pp 27-34), Przegląd Geologiczny Assembly of the Commission (Geological Review) no. 64, 2/2016 (pp. 84-85) and 30th September 2017 The last Assembly took place during the 13th By Donald A. McFarlane (USA), Co-President International Symposium on Pseudokarst in Kunčice Zacisk 29/2017 (in press). [email protected] pod Ondřejnikem, 17th September 2015; in this me- • The report on the Pseudokarst Commission eting the report of the Commission activity in 2013- activity in 2013-2015 was published in the UIS Bulle- he Commission on Archaeology and Palaeon- bly with a recommendation for action. 2015 was presented. tin 58-1/2016 (pp. 10-12). See http://www.uis-speleo. tology was reorganized at the 16th ICS (Brno; • Letter of support to the Torquay Museum, org/downloads/uis-bulletins/uisb581.pdf. 2013) after a period of senescence. The Com- England (a nationally important repository of cave Events (meetings) • The assembly, taking place during the 13th In- Tmission currently consists of 13 members re- archaeological and palaeontological materials) with Webpage ternational Symposium on Pseudokarst in Kunčice pod presenting 10 countries, and is chaired by co-Presi- respect to local Government funding decisions. The webpage of the Pseudokarst Commission Ondřejnikem, Czech Rep., 17th September 2015, gathe- dents Donald McFarlane (paleontology) and Natalie • Distribution of “important new papers” via (edited by Hartmut Simmert) is permanently active red 11 members of the Commission from 9 countries. Uomini (archaeology). The principle activity of the (address: http://www.pseudokarst.com/). It presents the Commission email list. • The 13th International Symposium on Pseu- th documents produced by the Commission Assembly Commission has been to establish a website http://fa- Discussions at the 17 ICS focused on strate- dokarst was held in 16-19th September 2015, in and executive group, issues of the Pseudokarst News- culty.jsd.claremont.edu/dmcfarlane/UIS/ and to serve as a gies for improving Commission visibility on the inter- Kunčice pod Ondřejnikem, Czech Rep.. During the medium for the exchange of information on matters of net, and developing a relationship with the Interna- scientific sessions of this Symposium 16 lectures and letters, reports and announcements concerning mee- mutual interest. tional Show Caves Association. This has resulted in 5 posters were given. The field sessions (lasting one tings and other events, as well as many past sympo- Specific actions include: the establishment of a dedicated List Server, which and half days) included visits of two caves and se- sia proceedings. All activity providing new data and • A petition on access to a Petralona Cave ho- has already proved quite active. veral sites of a morphology shaped by gravitational improving the informational level of the webpage is minid skull was submitted to the UIS General Assem- slope movements. welcome.

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Current and planned activities, the Commission members is increasing along with ACTIVITY REPORT 2013-2017 problems the time, which does not contribute to the activeness • The most important aim of the Pseudokarst of the Commission as a whole. Therefore, the exe- Commission activity is the organization of internatio- cutive group of the Commission call on all members Cave Diving COMMISSION nal pseudokarst symposia. Although during the 17th and friends of the Commission to find young people International Congress of Speleology in Sydney the working on “pseudokarst” and ask them to involve in By Maxime de GIANPIETRO (Switzerland), President [email protected] adequate session on non-karst caves and landforms the Commission activity. We need such people within was organized, this Congress could not be assumed the Commission and its executive group. The news- as a meeting of the Commission, since only two its letter – by the way – represents an already renowned he Cave Diving Commission activities have al- Speleologists and to Rescue Divers coming from a members attended the Congress. Therefore, the cru- international platform for the presentation of results ready been presented in the previous UIS Bul- dozen of countries and to present them the peculiari- cial problem, which should be solved as soon as pos- and ideas. letin of June 2017 (http://www.uis-speleo.org/ ties, constraints and procedures of Cave Diving Res- sible, is the location of the 14th International Sympo- • The Commission executive proposes to pro- Tdownloads/uis-bulletins/uisb591.pdf). cue in a multisump environment. sium on Pseudokarst. So far, the Commission Executive long the activity of the Working Group on the Clas- • In return we could gather and exchange in- These activities can be summarized as follows: explored some possibilities (Romania, Russia, Sweden) sification of Non-Karst Caves under the leadership of formations about the organisation of Cave Diving without success, therefore all proposals are welcome. P. Bella and L. Gaál. We hope that the conclusions 1. In autumn 2013 we successfully launched a Rescue in some countries and the lack of such orga- The ultimate term of this meeting is 2019. of this group work will be presented during the 14th website, fully dedicated to the activities of the Cave nisations in others. Diving Commission of the UIS with the aim to make 5. Our commission was able to present another • The difficulty with the organization of the International Symposium on Pseudokarst. it easier for people all around the world to access cru- documentary on a multisump exploration in several pseudokarst symposium seems to be a part of much • Due to good work of the UIS Vice-President, cial information about the commission’s ressources Speleological conventions in Europe with the aim to greater problem of the Commission members’ acti- George Veni, the information on events related to and activities as well as to get in touch with its key demonstrate to classical speleologists the wherabouts vity and, generally, membership. Although the num- cave and karst exploration, study and management people easily. of joined operations with Cave Divers when explo- ber of the Commission members has not decreased (meeting annoucements, publications etc.) has been 2. We attended as a guest, the 2014 annual me- ring new caves. These documentaries can be viewed and their “quality” and professional output are very efficiently distributed to the Commission executive eting of the French Cave Diving Commission which online on the website of the commission. high and are still getting greater, the average age of and then redistributed to its members and friends. was held during the annual congress of the French 6. The Cave Diving Commission gave its pa- Speleological Society (FFS). tronage to the Cave Diving Conference in Dorga- • During this meeting the two commissions li, Sardinia organised in May 2015. The organizing Dear Members and Friends of the UIS-Pseudokarst Commission agreed on how France would in the future run it’s Committee was made of the Sardinian Spelological cave diving seminars and workshops, this decision Federation (FSS) and the Cave Diving Commission We are pleased to inform you that, according to the decision of the ma- was important since the commission has to respond (CNS) of the Italian Speleological Society (SSI). This jority of the Commission members (meaning all members expresssing their opi- to requests from countries which do not have suitable congress highighted the main outcomes in the explo- nion in this matter), Dr. WILLIAM R. HALLIDAY, is designated an HONORARY knowledge to offer cave diving seminars and courses ration of the karst underwater system along the Oro- MEMBER of the UIS Pseudokarst Commission. to their members. sei gulf during the last 50 years. Several explorers Dr. Halliday (born 1926), the oldest member of this Commission, is the 3. At the request of the local speleologists, were invited and presented the outcomes of explora- famous American speleologist (NSS member our Vice-President, Mr Philippe Brunet, organised in tion dives and new perspectives. Part of the session since 1947) and caver, who explored many karst, 2013- 2014-2015 and 2016 Cave Diving Workshops was devoted to reports on other exploration areas non-karst and volcanic (lava tube) caves. He is abroad in the Pacific Area. and new cave diving equipment. 4. We were invited to attend the 13th Interna- 7. Another patronage was granted to the Inter-

Font: http://www.pseudokarst.com/ Font: also an author and co-author of many publica- tions: cave documentations and maps, cave stu- tional Cave Rescue Conference, RISS 2015, as spe- national Namibia expedition led by Dr. Alessio Fileccia. th th dies, syntheses and encyclopedic descriptions, among wich are also the analyses aking guests, held in Switzerland from April 16 -19 . 8. The Commission was also asked to give its At this occasion we showed the movie “Res- expertise on Cave Diving Exploration matters to local of Martian pseudokarst. He summarized his view of the pseudokarst phenomena • cue in the Bouclans’ Spring”, a documentary pro- territorial autorities of a country that had to grant thoroughly in his paper ”Pseudokarst in the 21st Century“ ( https://caves.org/ duced by our commission. The aim was to show to special permits for a major cave exploration, involving pub/journal/PDF/v69/cave-69-01-103.pdf). His papers have been published in the conference participants how a multisumps cave speleologists, cave divers and heavy surface support. some issues of Pseudokarst Commission Newsletter, too. Despite the progress in diving rescue operation works. We highlighted the 9. We also assisted a National Cave Diving a disease, he is still active member of the Commission. challenges that such an intervention means to tradi- Commission in the setup of its new Chart and the Being very grateful for his contributions to the activities of the Pseudokarst tional rescue teams, letting them better understand definition of the new terms of reference and speci- Commission, we wish all the best to Bill Halliday! the needs and the severe constraints that cave diving fications of the Cave Diving Commission within its rescue specialists encounter when planning a joint national Speleological Organisation. Jan Urban, President of the UIS Pseudokarst Commission rescue multisumps operation. 10. Several countries approached us regarding Rudolf Pavuza, Vice-President of the UIS Pseudokarst Commission • This event, which gathered more than one the procedures for issuance of Cave Diving Accredi- Kathy Block Kathy Hartmut Simmert, Secretary of the UIS Pseudokarst Commission hundred participants from around the world, was tations for their members and we responded to their a unique opportunity to meet and to talk to Rescue requests in issuing new Cave Diving Accreditions as

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Underwater Speleologists. America, as he already did in Central America. Plans • International coordinator / Coordination mondiale: Agnès Darnoux 11. We were also involved in the successfull are that he will organise new events in South Ameri- • Australia: Greg Middleton testing of a new subterranean positioning device that ca. Thanks go to Mr Yanez for his initiatives. • Argentina:Carlos Benedetto could be defined as something like an underground 13. I take the opportunity of this report to • Austria: Christa Pfarr GPS. We do hope that this device will help the future thank the two Vice-Presidents of the commission, • explorers to map new galeries discovered with a gre- Mr Manuel Pinto-Soares (Portugal) and Mr. Philippe Belgium: Nathalie Goffioul • ater accuracy. Brunet (France), for their most appreciated contri- France: Marcel Meyssonnier, Christophe Bès, René Carlin, Bernard Chirol, Philippe Drouin, 12. Mr. German Yanez from Mexico was ap- butions to it as well as for their overall constructive Xavier Foucrier, Christophe Prévot, Christophe Lavorel, Jean Taisne, Eric de Valicourt pointed as a new Acting Secretary of the Commission. collaboration and their strong dedication towards the • Germany: Gehard Stein, Michael Laumanns, Thomas Ratgeber Furthermore, and in view of his deep knowledge of UIS Cave Diving Commission. • Italy: Michele Sivelli, Pino Guidi, Alessandro Pastorelli the region, Mr Yanez was put in charge to promote • Malaysia: Liz Price the activities of the Commission in Central and South • Norway/Norvegen: Torstein Finnesand • Switzerland: Patrick Deriaz, Cécile Vuilleumier, Philipp Hauselmann • Sweden: Johannes Lundberg • USA: Yvonne Droms ACTIVITY REPORT/RAPPORT 2014-2017 • United Kingdom: Gina Moseley, Natalie T. Uomini, Joanne Dernie BIBLIOGRAPHY COMMISSION • Biospeleology: Bernard Lebreton Special thanks to everyone who helped and Merci à toutes ces personnes qui contribuent au contributed to BBS. BBS. Rejoignez-nous : nous cherchons toujours des collabo- commission de bibliographie Join us: we always look for collaborators all rateurs dans le monde entier : des personnes qui lisent les over the world, people who read caving magazines revues et livres consacrés à la spéléo, et qui ont la volonté Granges, 17 July 2017 / 17 juillet 2017 and books, and who are willing to summarize their faire un résumé dans une base de données. By Patrick Deriaz (Switzerland), President content in a database. Pour plus d’informations, prenez contact à: Président de la Commission de Bibliographie de l’UIS For further information, please contact: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The BBS website is available at: Le site internet du BBS est disponible à l’adresse: www.ssslib.ch/bbs www.ssslib.ch/bbs ince the 16th UIS International Congress in epuis le congrès de Brno, la commission a conti- Brno, thanks to the work of the national colla- nué à rassembler des analyses en provenance du borators, the commission has continued to monde entier, grâce au travail des collaborateurs ACTIVITY REPORT 2013-2017 Sgather and document bibliographic analyses nationaux. from around the world. D En juin 2015 a paru un numéro double 51-52 (2012- In June 2015 appeared the double volume 51-52 2013) qui est le dernier numéro imprimé. INFORMATICS COMMISSION (2012-2013), which is also the last BBS printed issue. En mars 2017, le numéro 53 (2014) est publié sur in- In March 2017, the volume 53 (2014) was pu- ternet sous forme de base de données. Les premiers échos Cave and karst documentation, mapping and data blished on the internet in the form of a database. The sont positifs. Des bugs seront corrigés ces prochaines se- first reactions are positive. Some few bugs, such as maines, tel que l’impression et exportation des analyses qui September 2017 printing and exporting analyses that do not work pro- ne fonctionne pas correctement. By Peter Matthews (Australia), President perly for the moment, will be soon corrected. La commission de spéléologie de l’Académie Suis- [email protected] The Scientific Speleology Commission of the se des Sciences Naturelles, qui soutient financièrement le http://ww.uisic.uis-speleo.org Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences, which has pro- Bulletin bibliographique spéléologique depuis ses débuts, vided financial support for the Speleological Biblio- his report covers our work in the four years If you would like to contribute to the progress of cave s’est réunie le 12 juillet et a décidé de mettre en accès libre graphic Bulletin since its beginnings, decided on their since the 2013 Congress in Brno, Czech Re- and karst documentation techniques, particularly th l’ensemble des analyses du BBS (soit environ 110’000 réfé- 12 of July 2017 meeting to provide free access to all public, together with results from the recent that related to data fields, data exchange and the se- BBS analyses (approximately 110 000 references). A rences). Un url unique sera disponible pour chaque analyse, 2017 Congress in Sydney, Australia. Please mantic web, please contact the president at the email single url will be available for each analysis, allowing permettant de lier les résumés du BBS avec d’autres appli- T note that although the term “working group” has address above. And if you would like to contribute to BBS summaries to be linked with other applications. cations. been used during the four years of this report, the any of the groups below you are very welcome - plea- This will be done in the coming weeks and general Cela sera réalisé ces prochaines semaines et une in- UIS Bureau has decided to discontinue this term, and se email their leader directly. We are also still looking information will be disseminated via the UIS website. formation générale sera diffusée via le site de l’UIS. so the Commission and its sub-groups will need to for a Vice-President to help run the Commission and The work of collecting and writing analyses La collecte et la rédaction des analyses fonctionnent decide on a new terminology for the future. its work, and we could really use some cave docu- only was possible thanks to the enthusiasm of many grâce à l’enthousiasme de nombreuses personnes dans le Our groups have made good progress as below, mentation oriented people who are adept at develo- people around the world, especially for the volume 53: monde entier, à savoir pour le numéro 53: but other projects are waiting for volunteers to help. ping web-based applications.

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An old but important issue which has arisen du- PUBLICATIONS EXCHANGE their interest in cooperating, or have even signed a Data transfer ring the work of the UIS-WikiCaves Working Group is Leader: Trevor Faulkner (UK) partnership agreement, others have indicated diffi- The Fort Stanton Cave Study Project (New Me- that of balancing the need for ready access to cave [email protected] culties with sharing information, but a large number xico, USA) needs to transfer their significant data and karst information against the need to protect the Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/publexch of federations have not yet responded. We encoura- holdings to the managing agencies, and enquired ge the remaining countries to respond, otherwise we caves and cave owner relations. One size does not fit about the existence of cave photo data standards. At its initial meeting at the Brno Congress in have to assume that there is no restriction on the lo- all, and so some serious discussion is needed to reach As well as data for over 50,000 photos, their holdin- 2013, this working group was established to assist cation precision presented for any data which could a consensus and strategy to accommodate the requi- gs include the usual survey, inventory and scientific with the exchange, accessing and archiving of spe- be supplied by anyone in the world for caves in their rements of each country. measurement data. In subsequent discussions it was leological publications into the future. Further mee- country. There is still a lot of concern about cave protec- agreed that the project and the Commission’s existing SURVEY AND MAPPING tings were held in the UK in 2016 and in Australia at the recent UIS Congress. At these meetings and from tion, which is good news, but the question remains: Data Exchange Working Group would collaborate to Leader: Philipp Häuselmann (Switzerland) email exchanges two editions of a series of draft gui- In the 21st century, how can we enable easy access assist with this transfer, and in the process continue [email protected] to information for exploration, research and manage- the current development of UIS’ cave data transfer Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/wgsurmap.html delines were established and updated, together with spreadsheets to record the current publications and ment while still protecting the caves? This will be a and archiving standards. We would also be interested topic for discussion in the coming period. to hear from anyone who has already established a The Survey and Mapping Working Group fo- their exchange status. At the Sydney Congress Edi- Meanwhile Version 3 of the GrottoCenter we- cave photo catalogue. cussed on two new topics during the period - Sym- tion 3 was reviewed and will be finalised for distribu- tion and publication on the group’s web page shortly. bsite is now in Beta, and includes mechanisms for bols for artificial cavities, and T-LiDAR cave scanning. specifying restrictions and managing graded access After the final release of the guidelines and sta- Survey archive See also ‘Survey Archive’ further below. to the cave data. tus, Trevor will be resigning as Leader of the group, The Commission was approached by a caver MAPPING SYMBOLS FOR and Michele Sivelli of the Centro Italiano di Docu- who was holding over 40 years of survey data for ARTIFICIAL CAVITIES mentazione Speleologica Biblioteca “F. Anelli” (So- CAVER’S MULTI-LINGUAL DICTIONARY a major cave system and was enquiring about the Leader: Mladen Garašič (Croatia) Leader: Philipp Häuselmann (Switzerland) cietà Speleologica Italiana) will be taking over the possibility of archiving this data for open access in a [email protected] [email protected] leadership for the ongoing maintenance of the Guide- secure location over the long term, in particular, af- Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/lexintro.html Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/wgsurmap. lines and the periodic updating of the exchange status ter he had passed on. This idea certainly has merit, html#artificial documents (contacts, publications and exchanges). First displayed on the web in 1998 with over however there are many questions to be answered, Please see the web page for more information, 300 speleo concepts in four languages, the Dictionary decisions to be made, and online development to be At the request of the UIS Artificial Cavities and Trevor’s detailed progress reports can be found done before such an archive could be set up effec- Commission in 2013 and after discussion at the Inter- over the last four-year period has seen the addition in UIS Bulletins. See also page 86 of the current issue. tively. Preliminary enquiries have been made about national Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities, of Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish and Arabic in possible international sites. The Commission will HYPOGEA, in March 2015 in Rome, a draft symbol that order, thanks to our hard-working contributors, create a new group to look into the issues, and so set was prepared and sent to the Artificial Cavities UIS-WIKICAVES taking us now to 26 languages and with more in the Leader: Didier Borg (France) our Survey and Mapping Working Group is conside- Commission for their consideration. Their responses pipeline. [email protected] New languages or improvements to existing ring whether to make this their next project. were considered by the working group at the Sydney Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/wikicaves Congress and a final set for voting will be issued in languages are always welcome. Important technical information on how to supply a new language is avai- Mailing lists 2017-18. The UIS-WikiCaves Working Group was set up lable on the Working Group’s web pages. We have Several emailing lists are being set up via the at the Brno Congress in 2013 to foster liaison betwe- also had an offer to add Italian dialect terms and to UIS Internet Facilities to assist with the discussions T-LIDAR CAVE SCANNING en WikiCaves and UIS and to encourage the use of add artificial cavity terms. on the various topics mentioned in this report. De- Leader: Donald McFarlane (USA) GrottoCenter’s existing web database (established in Although already comprehensive in terms of tails will be available via our website in due course. [email protected] 2008) to improve open and standards-based access languages, the Dictionary certainly has scope for fur- Everyone is encouraged to join and contribute to any Web: http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/wgsurmap-lidar.html to basic cave and karst data on a global basis, whi- ther development. For example, more flexibility in its of the groups and discussions above which interest le accommodating the various protocols needed by This survey working group was formed in 2015 presentation, links to actual definitions in the various them. More details about each group can be found each country for the protection of their caves and lan- to establish recommended guidelines and standar- languages, and conversion of its offline database to a on their web page. ds for LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser downer relations. web database. We welcome anyone who is interested scanning and mapping of cave chambers and passa- Accordingly, the working group sent out a letter in helping with these developments, or who can pro- Commission leadership ges. An initial meeting was held in Belgium in 2015 in April 2016 under the signature of the UIS Secretary vide information about access to actual definitions in No volunteers came forward to take over lea- where provisional agreement was reached on open General and the WikiCaves President to all national any of our languages. dership of the Commission, so Peter Matthews will standards for file formats. Many examples of LiDAR organisations and delegates to ascertain what level of continue as President. A Vice-president is still being scanning were displayed by a range of people at the locational precision for caves their country can accept FROM THE SYDNEY CONGRESS sought. Sydney Congress. Further discussion was held at the on the GrottoCenter cave data website, and whether Apart from the further developments in our Congress by the group and the details will be availa- they would help the project by supplying information groups as mentioned above, the following new issues ble shortly on their web page. about their caves. Some countries have indicated arose during the Sydney Congress:

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REPORT of activities Supporting spreadsheets but the three Paper Exchanges Received spreadshe- Chapter 10: PEWG Contacts ets remain quite sparse. Discussion revealed that PUBLICATIONS EXCHANGE WORKING GROUP Chapter 11: PEWG Journal Titles the PEWG might need to change its name and sta- Chapter 12: PEWG Paper Exchanges received, excluding tus, as the UIS statutes no longer recognise “Working from Europe Groups”. Another discussion concerned UIS Docu- OF THE UIS INFORMATICS COMMISSION Chapter 13: PEWG Paper Exchanges received, from Euro- mentation Centres. pe (Austria to Italy) 19 October 2017 - WFW729 Chapter 14: PEWG Paper Exchanges received, from Euro- UIS Documentation Centres By Trevor FAULKNER (United Kingdom), Chairman pe (Netherlands to UK) The primary UIS Documentation Centre is hou- [email protected] sed at the library of the Swiss Speleological Society http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/publexch Progress to date in La Chaux-de-Fonds. A UIS Bureau meeting in 1978 The PEWG Terms of Reference and several published a list of ‘National Documentation Centers Appendices were re-issued at Issue 2 on 9 November of Speleology’, to overcome the problems of personal his is the third report of the Publications Ex- Working Group participants 2016, following discussion at the Workshop held on access to one physical library. By 2015, 18 such libra- change Working Group (PEWG) to the UIS and communication 16 August 2016. The documentation has since been ries were assumed to participate in exchanging publi- Informatics Commission. It builds on the first Editors and Librarians of international speleo- reformatted into the existing Guidelines at Issue 3. cations and providing access to their collections, as and second reports, which were published logical organisations and other interested people are Chapters 1 to 8 are now complete and stable, so that reported in the new book by Labegalini (2015, 109- T asked to regard themselves as part of this Working in UIS Bulletins 58 (1) 5–7, May 2016, and 59 (1) it is hoped that Editors and Librarians will follow the 113), which became available at the Congress. These 42-43, June 2017, to which readers are referred. The Group. Please forward the PEWG Speleological Publi- recommendations. However, revisions and mainte- are now listed in Chapter 4 of the Guidelines. The PEWG has been established to tackle the challenges cations Exchange Guidelines to your Exchange Part- nance will be needed in the future, as new techni- BBS-SA website ssslib.ch/bbs/public/anglais/index. and opportunities for the exchange, accessing, orga- ners and invite them to join, by sending a short email ques evolve. Chapters 7 and 8 have been written by htm lists 15 of these registered UIS Documentation nisation, safe storage and archiving of world-wide to the next Chairman, Michele Sivelli (biblioteca[at] an expert team to address the issues regarding the Centres that should enable people to study interna- socissi.it). These Guidelines are placed on the PEWG published speleological and karstic information into electronic exchange of published information. Signi- tional caving literature and to order copies of articles web page at http://www.uisic.uis-speleo.org/puble- the distant future. The Working Group was formally ficant new information at Issue 3 includes: UIS Do- that have been cited in Speleological Abstracts, Cur- xch/ at each new issue. Meeting workshops for the established within the UIS Informatics Commission, cumentation Centres in Chapter 4, OCR in Chapter 7 rent Titles in Speleology and BBS-SA, perhaps elec- Working Group are arranged at international spele- and Open Access in the Chapter 8 preamble. Everyo- tronically. However, it is not clear which person or with close liaison with the UIS Bibliography Commission, ological events, to discuss progress and to facilitate th ne is asked to continue to provide new information group should decide which libraries fulfil the requi- at the 16 International Congress of Speleology (ICS) the actual exchange of back issues of speleological and updates for all the spreadsheets. Peter Matthews, rements to be new (national) Documentation Cen- held in Brno, Czech Republic, from 21–28 July 2013. journals and books. Since the first report, workshops ters, and by which process. A proposal has been made were held at the EuroSpeleo 2016 event in Yorkshire, the Chairman of the UIS Informatics Commission, is from Brazil that this should be coordinated through The main aims of the PEWG are to: UK, on 16 August 2016 and at the 17th ICS in Sydney thanked for continuing support in placing PEWG in- the PEWG, and this will be considered further. 1 - Promote the exchanges of previous and new on 28 July 2017. Minutes of these meetings are, or formation on to the UISIC web page. paper journals and books that will be housed in phy- will be, available on the website. New Chairman for the PEWG sical libraries internationally; Meeting IN SYDNEY At the end of the Workshop, the Chairman re- 2- Publicise the extent of this international coo- Achievement of the aims The Chairman presented a report of PEWG of the Working Group ported that he will retire from the post of BCRA Fo- peration to help safeguard the preservation of impor- progress at Issue 2 of its documentation to attendees The aims have now been mainly achieved by th reign Secretary at the end of 2017, and it will not be tant speleological information into the distant future, of the 17 ICS on 27 July 2017. His paper is in the the preparation of the Guidelines at Issue 3, which appropriate to continue as Chairman of PEWG after as a widely distributed ‘archive’; Congress Proceedings Volume 1, 430-431. A PEWG have the following contents: workshop was convened the following day on 28 July that. The meeting unanimously agreed to nominate 3- Examine the opportunities and problems re- Michele Sivelli, the Librarian for the Societa Spele- Chapter 1: Introduction 2017, with an agenda to: lated to the production, dissemination and long-term ologica Italiana, as the new Chairman and we wish storage of information electronically, primarily to Chapter 2: Terms of Reference of the PEWG 1. To review the PEWG Guidelines at draft is- sue 3, following a restructuring Michele every success in taking the PEWG forward improve its international, searchable, ‘access’, and to Chapter 3: The record of the PEWG 2. To review progress in achieving the aims of from the start of 2018. produce a distributed digital archive. Observations and Recommendations the Working Group Chapter 4: Speleological libraries 3. To provide an opportunity for further discus- Reference The vision is that the Working Group will as- Chapter 5: Paper publications and digital warnings Labegalini, JA. 2015. Fifty Years of the UIS: 1965- sion, networking and the physical exchange of publi- sist in the networking of those existing speleolo- Chapter 6: Postal exchanges. 2015, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 522 pp. Chapter 7: Scanning documents for digital archiving cations amongst the attendees. gical libraries internationally that each hold and Chapter 8: The creation, exchange and storage of digital The workshop agreed the Guidelines, which catalogue a good selection of published cave and publications have now been published at Issue 3. The Contacts karst literature. Chapter 9: Review of previous actions and Journal Titles spreadsheets are well populated,

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GLACIER, FIRN, AND ICE CAVES By Luis Omar Calva Pérez (Mexico), Second Officer of UMAE 30th September 2017 [email protected] By Valter Maggi (Italy), President Rogelio Hernández Vergara (Mexico), First Officer of UMAE http://geomatic.disat.unimib.it/home/valter/icecave/index.html [email protected] [email protected] Photos of this page © UMAE The Commission on Glacier, Firn and Ice Caves of ice bodies will eventually change the caves dyna- 1 - NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2017-2019 (Glaciocaves - http://bit.ly/2ylBWh6) is composed by: mics, and most of the past information archived is he Mexican Union of Speleological Associations (UMAE, in Spanish) announces its new bo- vanishing from melting and ice reducing. President ard of directors. The selection took place in the month of July, 2017, when leaders of each association The aim of the Commission is improving the and honorary members who are affiliated to UMAE, voted to select the new Executive Committee. The Prof. Valter Maggi (Italy) collaborations between UIS and non-UIS communi- structure of this union is presided by the following members: a president, a vice-president, one general [email protected] ties, working in ice and glacier caves, to define the T secretary, one treasurer and two assistants. Vice-Presidents guideline for the ice body exploration and ice coring Prof. Bulat Mavlyudov (Russia) and to explore the possibility of project design and [email protected] funding (national and international agencies). THE ELECTED EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2017-2019 IS: This small community meets every 2 years du- Dr. Aurel Persoiu (Romania) ring the International Workshop on Ice Caves (IWIC). [email protected] In 2014 met in Idaho Falls (USA) and in 2016 in Pos- Secretary tumia (Slovenia). The next IWIC will take place in Spain at the Christiane Meyer (Germany) Picos de Europa National Park from 11th to 18th June [email protected] 2018 (http://eventos.uva.es/15714/detail/internatio- nal-workshop-on-ice-caves.html). The Commission has the goal to explore and In the meantime, the commission produces a understand the evolution of ice deposits in caves, yearly newsletter (1st issue 2017) that is published on Oscar Alvarado Machorro Fátima del Rosario Tec Pool and the caves formed in the glaciers. Caves and the the Glaciocaves website (http://geomatic.disat.unimib. President of UMAE Vice-President of UMAE cryosphere are very sensitive to the climate chan- it/home/valter/icecave/img/newsletter-2017.pdf) ge. Ice caves and Glacier Caves are strictly related Here we also ask the UIS National Delegates to to hypogean physical properties and micrometeoro- send us information about activities, research, and, if logy and glacier dynamics, and external forcing as exist, database of the ice caves in your country. Espe- precipitation, temperatures, wind, etc.... Due to the cially important are for us is the contact with collea- climate change, mid-to-polar latitude ice caves and gues, speleo groups or research institutes that work glacier caves are now in danger, at different rates, for on ice caves in your country. We are an open commu- the reduction in term of volumes and areas. Melting nity, and all the contributions are welcome.

Adrián Miguel Nieto Alicia M. Dávila García Scarisoara Ice Cave drilling (Romania) Secretary of UMAE Among the activities of the Commission, we can Treasurer of UMAE mention the continued drilling efforts in Scarisoara and Focul Viu Ice Caves, recovering ice cores that span the last 10,000 years. Analysis of the ice led to the first recons- truction of the Holocene history of winter temperature and moisture in Eastern Europe. Present activities are focusing on analyzing the life preserved in the ice, preliminary results indicating that

microbes and fungi survived for more than 2,000 years © http://bit.ly/2ylBWh6 Font: Rogelio Hernández Vergara Luis Omar Calva Pérez frozen in the ice. Scarisoara Ice Cave, Apuseni Mountains, Romania. First Officer of UMAE Second Officer of UMAE

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The new Committee is ready and willing of exploration and documentation of the subterranean 5. José G. Palacios Vargas (1999-2002) 6th of 2017 (Figure 2). initiate activities, starting with the agreements and environments on different aspects: scientific, techni- 6. Juan Antonio Montaño Hirose (2002-2003) Lead by Alondra Fernández, president of Natio- proposals that will help in the progress of our natio- cal, touristic and as a sport. 7. Rodolfo González Luna (2003-2006) nal Mexican Congress of Speleology Executive Com- nal speleology. Our objectives are to re-activate work UMAE supports the National Mexican Congress 8. Javier Vargas Guerrero (2006-2008) mittee 2017 and Alfredo Bravo Bonilla, president groups focused on different disciplines, to create of Speleology. This event comes every two years and 9. Reyes Orozco Villa (2008-2017) of Asociación de Espeleología del Estado de Puebla, courses, workshops and talks to encourage a better is manage by affiliate groups. The first congress was more of 200 cavers, students, teachers, researchers understanding and knowledge of this science, to con- held in Mérida, Yucatán on December 16-20, 1991 3 - UMAE TODAY from different states of Mexico and local people reu- tinue coordinating the National Speleology Congress and operated by Espeleo-Grupo Yucatán, with the Almost 30 years have passed since its creation nited. Not only cavers from Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalis- and to guide any foreign caver about the way to ex- support of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán and great progress was made, however there is more co, Mexico City, Michoacán, Puebla, Quintana Roo, plore and research in Mexico. and the Government of Yucatán. Since then, Natio- be done. At this moment, the Union is constituted by Sonora, Veracruz and Yucatán gathered for came this nal Congresses have been held in different states 28 groups or associations and more than 220 mem- important event, but we also have the presence of ca- 2 - HISTORY OF UMAE such as Guerrero (1993), Campeche (1995), Pue- bers (Figure 1). Also, UMAE is affiliate to Union In- vers from different countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Ja- Mexico is well-known around the world in the bla (1998), Querétaro (2000), Chiapas (2003), Nuevo ternationale de Spéléologie (UIS) and Federación Es- pan, Puerto Rico and United States. During the four field of speleology because of its high diversity of León (2005), Puebla (2007), Tabasco (2009), Puebla peleológica de América Latina y del Caribe (FEALC). days of the event, all participants shared their expe- caves. Our country has several of the most outstan- (2011), Yucatán (2013), Veracruz (2015) and Puebla All members are working through different areas and riences about cave exploration and research. Over ding caves in the world. Sistema Huautla (the dee- (2017). As part of these congresses, we hold the Gene- making great progress in this science. 45 conferences and talks, workshops, art and videos pest cave of Western Hemisphere), Sistema Ox Bel ral Assembly where the Executive Committee and all The UMAE also publishes Mundos Subterráneos, exhibits were held during this event with topics of Ha (the world longest underwater cave), Sótano de the groups and honorary members discuss the situation the official newsletter that talks about the activities of cave exploration, cave rescue and new discoveries as las Golondrinas, Cueva de los Cristales de Naica and and problems to be solved in relation to our speleology. cavers from Mexico and any caver around the world. well as about biology, karstology, geology, conserva- Sistema Cheve, just to mention a few. This publication has already published 27 issues and tion and archaeological research (Figure 3). This natural variety was the reason to establish 2.1 - UMAE PAST-PRESIDENTS is distributed to Zoological Records and UIS and FE- On the another hand, the event also had ex- an organization to represent all cavers of Mexico, 1. José G. Palacios Vargas (1990-1993) ALC libraries. UMAE is still coordinating the National cursions to the local caves. In this occasion, two ca- here and around the world and in 1990, the UMAE 2. Alejandro Carrillo Bañuelos (1993-1994) Mexican Congress of Speleology, with a total of 13 ves of Atepetaco Karst System, with different levels was born. The main objective of this union is to en- 3. José A. Gamboa Vargas (1994-1996) congresses so far, and is searching for the next host. and structures, were selected depending on the ex- courage and spread speleology in Mexico through the 4. Sergio Santana Muñoz (1996-1999) perience of the crew. Cueva Las Cruces (show cave) 4 - NATIONAL MEXICAN CONGRESS and Cueva El Viento were the two caves where ca- OF SPELEOLOGY vers spend a full day underground using different Hueytamalco, Puebla, 2017 entrances and paths, sharing each other’s knowled- The National Mexican Congress of Speleology ge and practicing their techniques. Last, but not less was held in Puebla, Mexico, in the town of Hueyta- important, it commemorated our General Assembly malco and was hosted by the Asociación de Espele- by UMAE, where new changes were decided on the ología del Estado de Puebla from February 3rd to the future of the Mexican caves. Eugenio Aceves Eugenio Figure 1 - Mexico and all the affiliated groups of the Mexican Union of Speleological Associations (UMAE) Figure 2 - Mexican cavers in the XIII National Mexican Congress of Speleology 2017 in Hueytamalco, (based on INEGI geology data base). Puebla, Mexico.

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UIS CODE OF ETHICS FOR CAVE EXPLORATION UMAE UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS AND SCIENCE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

3 - After the expedition Samples from the caves and karst collected by the Before leaving, please send a small report of the expeditions should only be taken out the cave and expedition to UMAE via e-mail. country if the correct export procedures are follo- wed and their export is permitted. Copies of all printed material produced by the expedition, together with the location and maps of the caves should be sent to the participation caving clubs and the national speleological organization. Edgar Gualito Edgar Omar Calva Assistance received from the organizations within Figure 3 - Cavers exploring Cueva El Viento in Puebla, Mexico, one of the trips during the National Mexican the country visited should be acknowledged in all Congress of Speleology 2017 (left), and workshop by Fátima Tec Pool about archaeology (right). the expedition publications. 5 - COMING TO MEXICO Based on the UIS Code of Ethics for Cave Exploration and Science in Foreign Countries, the new Execu- tive Committee invites any international caver (explorers or scientists) to follow the recommendations of UIS 4 - The respect for the work of other groups and to contact UMAE for any support and help with international activities in Mexico. Before undertaking and expedition to a region, a We can help you to contact the local cavers in the group should do research on previous work or cur- area of interest to provide information about pre- UMAE UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS UIS CODE OF ETHICS FOR CAVE EXPLORATION rent explorations by local or foreign cavers. Credit vious work in the area. AND SCIENCE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES for previous explorations should be given in expedi- 1 - Before leaving the country tion reports. In many cases it will be necessary to obtain official We recommend before coming here, to send in- permission from the authorities in the country being formation about the purpose of the expedition (main visited. In additions, inform the national speleological objective, area of interest, date and number of parti- UMAE is welcomes to any cavers to Mexico. organization of the country to be visited. cipants) to UMAE by e-mail: [email protected] or We are here to help any expedition that follows the [email protected]. The national speleological organization will be fa- UIS Code of Ethics for Cave Exploration and Science miliar with the official requirements for visiting expe- If your purpose is scientific and include sampling, ditions and the regulations pertaining to the removal please check the regulations and laws for each type of in Foreign Countries and our statements. We desire sample (biological, geological, etc.). Remember, all sta- of materials. a collaborative participation between cavers from tes of Mexico manage different regulations or laws. If possible, organize joint expeditions with cavers Mexico has a cave rescue team (ERM) in case of any Mexico and any country, to learn from each other from the country to be visited. accident. You can contact directly to them anytime. and to make your stay easy. We also request sharing • Raquel Aguilar Romero the information not only with us and the local cavers Mobile: +521 55 5467 9017 E-mail: [email protected] who accompanied you, but with the local authori- • David Belmonte ties; and remember to add the acknowledgments in Mobile: +521 55 2522 3322 all related publications. For more information, visit E-mail: [email protected] our website www.umae.org. 2 - During expedition The expedition members should respect the laws of Please be respectful of the beliefs and decision of 6 - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS the country and local traditions, and understand that the local people. Thanks to Adrián Miguel-Nieto, Alicia M. Dá- some caves may be sacred sites and be of religion and In case of any incident, please notify to the local au- vila García, Fátima del Rosario Tec Pool and Ana cultural significance; exploration and research studies thorities or UMAE, who will provide the pertinent help. Aguilera García for the comments and suggestions. in these caves may be restricted. We encourage you to invite national cavers to join The expedition members should not damage either your expedition in order to cooperate and provide help. Also, special thanks to Dr. José G. Palacios Vargas for the karst or its caves and should, wherever possible, the complementary information about the sections educate and advise local communities in the protec- History of UMAE, UMAE Past-Presidents and UMAE tion and preservation of their karst or caves. today.

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UIS FINANCIAL REPORT, Sydney 2017 MINUTES Prepared by Nadja Zupan Hajna, UIS Adjunct Secretary – Treasurer (since Kerrville 2009); authorized representative of UIS in Slovenia since 2011 uis BUREAU MEETINGs Bank account in Slovenia: at Intesa Sanpaolo Bank (changed name from Banka Koper) at the 17th ics Poslovna enota Postojna, Tržaška cesta 1, 6230 - Postojna, Slovenia July 22-29, 2017 - Penrith (Panthers Event Centre) – Sydney (Australia) Account name: Mednarodna speleološka zveza (International Union of Speleology) UIS, Titov trg 2, Postojna Aczcount No: 10100-0037861520 By Fadi H. NADER (Secretary General) - [email protected] IBAN: SI56 1010 0003 7861 520 BIC: BAKOSI2X Session 1 - Saturday July 22, 2017; at 8h30 (local time) Financial situation on UIS account: 01/07/2017 Instructions to Bank (deposits): No decision was • 14.972,76 USD (14,972.76 USD) taken at this stage, since this matter involves the new ATTENDANCE 3) Review of General Assembly Documents • 11.040,95 EUR (11,040.95 EUR) UIS Bureau (after elections at General Assembly). President: Kyung Sik WOO First, the General Assembly agenda was revised Vice-President of Administration: George VENI and slightly modified. A first version had already been FINANCE REPORT TO UIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Postojna, July 15th, 2017 Vice-President of Operations: Efrain MERCADO sent to all delegates ahead of the Congress (published in Secretary General: Fadi H. NADER UIS Bulletin No. 58-2, November 2016). UIS MEMBER COUNTRIES: 54 (since 2013) Adjunct Secretaries: Then the UIS Statutes with all modifications pre- Jean-Pierre BARTHOLEYNS and post- review by National Delegates have been re- Nivaldo COLZATO viewed for the last time and two versions were printed John CUGLEY and distributed to all National Delegates attending the Mladen GARAŠIĆ General Assembly. A first version was the older approved Zdeněk MOTYČKA UIS Statutes and the second version represents the modi- Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA fied version (proposed to National delegates in Novem- Honorary Members/Past-Presidents: ber 2016, and published in UIS Bulletin No. 58-2) with the Pavel BOSAK most recent modifications – after review of National Del- Andrew James EAVIS egates – highlighted (replied received by Secretary Gen- José Ayrton LABEGALINI eral by June 2017). Bureau members not in attendance: For the modifications related to the Internal Regu- Giovanni BADINO lations (which have also been published in the UIS Bul- Christian DODELIN letin 58-2), the Bureau agreed that while the consent

of the General Assembly is appreciated, only the those 1) Opening speech of the UIS President / items that deal with the mode of payments and amounts Approval of Agenda by category for the annual dues of Member Countries, Kyung Sik Woo thanked all participants for com- necessitates formal voting at the General Assembly. This ing to Penrith (Australia). He presented the apologies of relates to Article 2 (Clause 3), which re-organizes Mem- Giovanni Badino and Christian Dodelin for not attend- ber Countries in four (4) categories (A, B, C, D) based on ing this annual UIS Bureau meeting. Kyung Sik Woo also the minimum number of speleologists in a given country. asked John Cugley to forward the Bureau’s satisfaction The yearly fees per category have been proposed and ap- Page 02/08 Page - 1 SESSION - and congratulations to the organizers of the 17th ICS and proved by General Assembly (A: 480 €; B: 360 €; C: 240 €; 01/08 Page - 1 SESSION -

for their efforts leading to a successful congress. I cs I cs

D: 60 €). For more information, refer to the UIS website Th The Agenda of the Meetings during the Congress Th 17 (www.uis-speleo.org) and published UIS Bulletins. 17 were then approved by the present Bureau members. T he

All supporting documents for Bureau Members T he A t and National Delegates were prepared (printed and pack- A t 2) Approval of Minutes from Regular Bure- aged in envelopes). These included the UIS Statutes ver- au Meeting of 2016 (Dalesbridge, UK) A few minor comments were made on the minutes sions, the Internal Regulation proposed changes on pay- M eetings of the last UIS Bureau Meeting (Dalesbridge – UK; 2016), ments, the finance tables, and the voting cards. M eetings which were noted by Fadi Nader. 4) Review of Finances (Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA) B ureau

Fadi Nader, then, proposed a motion to accept the B ureau a. Report of Treasurer U is

minutes, and it was passed by the Bureau. U is - - Together with the minutes, the list of decisions/ac- Nadja Zupan Hajna ran through the detailed bud- - tions was published on the UIS Bureau Forum and sent by get and expenses since 2013, which she also presented emails to Bureau members. (later on) to the General Assembly. M inutes M inutes

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c. Fund-raising news (Z. Motyčka) Australia. The commission is planning activities at the -Eu Zdenek Motyčka reported on the progress regar- rospeleo Forum in Ebensee, Austria, in August 2018. ding the Fund-Raising initiative. An electronic form was made available online (final version still needs to be Atlas of Karst Regions Commission worked out; most of which was done during the 17th ICS This commission closed in November 2013. in Sydney by Zdenek and Efrain). Bibliography Commission d. Expedition Fund (Z. Motyčka) No report has been received from the commission This point was postponed to the next Bureau Mee- since it was given 500 euros in 2015 for the BBS. In 2016 ting, since some issues still need to be finalized and need the commission worked with Adjunct Secretary Nivaldo the approval of the elected Members after the second Colzato on the scanning of all issues of the BBS. session of the General Assembly. Biology Commission DECISION 1: Pending the approval of the propo- This commission has been inactive over the past sed modifications on the UIS Statutes and Internal Re- four years and not very active before that. The commis- gulations, the official Treasurer will take care of finan- sion officers have reported that they can no longer par- cial issues of the UIS and there will be no need for the ticipate but George VENI has contacted other biologists Secretary General to make payment orders as was done who are interested in re-energizing the commission and before. will meet to discuss it during the week of the congress.

5) UIS Commissions (George VENI) Cave Diving Commission George VENI summarized the status of each De- This commission has been active, with most of its partment, Commission, and Working Group (from Vice- activities reported in the UIS Bulletin. The commission -President Administration Report, 2017). officers had to cancel attendance at the International Congress due to a recent injury. The commission’s major Archaeology and Paleontology Commission activities were: This commission was reestablished in 2013. During • Launched a website in 2013. the past four years it has been active, but mostly in buil- • Organized Cave Diving Workshops in 2013, 2014, ding its foundation and membership. Specific activities 2015, and 2016. include: • Exchanged information about cave diving rescue • Comment on a petition on access to a Petralona in various countries, especially those which lack such or- Cave hominid skull that was submitted to the UIS Bureau ganizations. with a recommendation for action. • Collaborated in the successful testing of a new • Letter of support to the Torquay Museum, En- subterranean positioning device that is something like an gland (a nationally important repository of cave archa- underground GPS. eological and paleontological materials) with respect to German Yanez, of Mexico, was appointed as the local government funding decisions. new Acting Secretary of the Commission and was put in • Distribution of “important new papers” via the charge of promoting the activities of the Commission in Commission email list. Central and South America. Page 04/08 Page - 1 SESSION - Page 03/08 Page - 1 SESSION - Artificial Cavities Commission Cavers’ Dictionary Working Group I cs I cs This commission is active with a website and has This commission remains active and since 2013 has Th Th

added Arabic, Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian to the dic- 17

17 organized two excellent symposia in 2015 (Italy) and - Tax Audit Payment: Nadja Zupan Hajna also informed the Bureau about the payment for the Tax Audit in Slovenia 2017 (Turkey). Extensive proceedings volumes have been tionary, for a current total of 28 languages. T he (obligatory). T he published for each symposium. A t A t Department of Education b. Funding Commissions Arts and Letters Commission From 2009-2013 there was almost no communica- - Upcoming payments (Internet, Commissions): No new payments requested. Commission members have been involved with tion from this commission. In Brno the commission met M eetings - Request from three commissions already honored: M eetings the following conferences with respect to their art salons and there was discussion of making the commission more Department of Protection: € 250 (Habe Prize); and/or associated activities: active but no news of any activities have been sent to the Speleogenesis: USD 150; B ureau B ureau • August 2014, Speleology Federation of Romania UIS or UIS Bulletin. Speleotherapy: € 250 U is

U is • November 2014, Casola Caving Symposium, Italy - - - Other expenses: - • June 2015, Italian cave science symposium Department of Karst and Cave Protection ICSU (€ 500/ year) + Mobility (up to € 3000) • August 2016, EuroSpeleo, UK This department is active with projects and activi- Accountant (€ 320/year) for Tax Audit • July 2017, International Congress of Speleology, ties in several countries. A detailed report has been sent M inutes M inutes

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Commission on Archaeology and Palaeontology in Caves x ------Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology Commission Commission on Artificial Cavities x - - - - - x History of Speleology Commission The commission applied for, but did not receive, an Commission on Arts and Letters x - x - - - - This commission has been active and published re- ICSU grant in 2014. No other activities have been reported. Commission on Bibliography - x - - - - - ports in the UIS Bulletin. It will meet at the congress. Here Commission on Cave Diving x - x - - - x are some of its major activities: Pseudokarst Commission Commission on Cave Mineralogy x ------• Assisted with the publication of the first book on This commission is active and has reported its ac- the caves of Cyprus. tivities in the UIS Bulletin and its own newsletter, with Commission on Cave Rescue x - x x x - x • Meeting with the author of the video Casteret #24, 25, 26, and the most recent issue, #27, published Commission on Glacier, Firn, and Ice Caves x ------Chasseur D’abîmes. this month. The commission has published many re- Commission on History of Speleology x - x x - - x • Several history books were published by com- ports and conducted one symposium, the 13th in the Commission on Informatics x - x - x - - mission members: Johannes Mattes (Austria), Vlado Bo- Czech Republic in 2013. Efforts are underway to organi- Commission on Informatics - Publications Exchange Working Group - - - - x - x zic (Croatia), Trevor Shaw (UK) and Alenka Cuk (Slovenia), ze the 14th symposium, although the location has yet to Commission on Informatics - WikiCaves Working Group - - - - x - - and Bernard Chirol and Theo Savoi (France). be selected. Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis x ------• New project about the history of caving and wo- Commission on Long, Deep and Large Caves x ------men, which included a course in the Jura Mountains in Publications Exchange Working Group Commission on Materials and Techniques x ------2016. This working group is active and making good pro- Commission on Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst x ------• Announced the forum “Caves as objects of his- gress in documenting speleological information around Commission on Pseudokarst x - - - x - - tory and culture” in April 2016 at the international scien- the world. Over 70 speleological libraries have joined the Commission on Speleochronology and Paleokarst x ------tific forum at Divnogorye Voronezh, Russia. group’s library network and more are expected to join. Commission on Speleotherapy x x x - - - x • Discovery of old speleological documents. Commission on Volcanic Caves x ------The commission may ask to be reclassified from Speleotherapy Commission Department of Protection of Karst and Caves x - - - x - x the Department of Documentation to the Department of This commission has been active with a major me- Research. eting in 2013, a symposium in 2015, planning for ano- DECISION 2: Pending the approval of the pro- divided in two categories (each with a certificate and € 100): ther symposium underway, and several publications. An posed modifications on the UIS Statutes and Internal • Best Scientific Poster, judged by a Scientific Com- Informatics Commission extensive report was published in the most recent UIS Regulations, all Departments, Commissions, Working mittee composed of international experts; This commission has been active and reported its Bulletin. Groups will be called “COMMISSIONS”. • Caver’s Prize, i.e. the best poster in the opinion of activities in the UIS Bulletin. Most of its work has been the visitors to the poster display. through its working groups, which are reported separa- Survey, Mapping, and Surface Map Symbols 6) UIS Prizes (N. COLZATO, J-P. BARTHO- tely in this report. Working Group LEYNS, J.A. LABEGALLINI) ACTION 1: UIS Bureau allows the payment of 600 This working group has been active in creating a € for the UIS Prizes to be granted at the 17th ICS in Pen- Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis Commission proposed list of map symbols for artificial cavities. a. Standard UIS Prizes for the 17th ICS rith, Sydney (Australia). Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA will pro- This commission is active and will meet at the con- Nivaldo COLZATO presented the status of the UIS cess the payment during the 17th ICS. gress. It continues to promote research through its Spe- Techniques and Materials Development Commission th Page 05/08 Page - 1 SESSION - Prizes for the 17 ICS. He described the various nomina- 06/08 Page - 1 SESSION - leogenesis website, four conferences it has sponsored or In 2013 and 2014 there was interest by the com- I cs tions (16 books and 2 major exploration projects). He also b. HABE Prize (Jean-Pierre BARTHOLEYNS) I cs Th co-organized, and several publications it has produced mission in developing a publication on this topic, but no- Th 17 since 2013. Long-time president of the commission, Ale- thing has happened recently showed the UIS Bureau Members the procedure he has Jean-Pierre BARTHOLEYNS presented to the UIS 17 planned for judging, including the organization of Jury Bureau the status of the Habe Prize for 2017. T he xander Klimchouk, will be stepping down and a new pre- T he A t sident elected at the congress. Volcanic Caves Commission Members and the fill-out Judging Forms. The Habe Prize consists of a certificate by the De- A t The commission is active and held a symposium partment of Karst and Cave Protection and a check of € 250. Long, Deep, and Large Caves Commission in 2014 in the Galapagos Islands, and in 2016 in Hawaii. Five UIS Prizes are proposed: This was approved at a previous Bureau meeting. M eetings No reports have been received from this commission Another symposium is planned for New Mexico, USA, 1- “The most significant discovery/exploration” Five interested submissions were received on time M eetings since 2013, although its project to laser-survey the world’s tentatively for 2018. with a certificate and a prize of 200 €. from Brazil, Indonesia, Myanmar, Russia and Slovenia. largest rooms has been widely publicized and will be pre- 2- “The most significant publication (book) about They concern the recovery of a degraded area, the com- B ureau B ureau sented at the congress, where the commission will meet. The reports of the commissions are published caves or a karst-related topic” (scientific and/or techni- prehensive and durable management of a karst area, a U is U is - - in the UIS Bulletin. Here is a summary of the activity of cal publications are considered for this prize), two prizes, cave documentation project, a new international protec- - Microbiology and Geobiology Commission Commissions as reported since 2013 (from Nivaldo Colza- each of which with a certificate and € 100. tion system agreement, and a film about diving in the ser- This commission has not been active during the to Adjunct Secretary Report, 2017). 3- “Poster Prize” - The best poster displayed at the ICS, vice of cave protection. M inutes M inutes

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The jury of the France Habe Prize 2016 was com- c. EU Projects (Cyprus / MED-FFS) b. 40th Anniversary of Speleo Nederland, 16-18 l. Climate Record: The Karst Record VIII, 21-24 posed of two members of the Scientific Committee of the Fadi NADER informed the UIS Bureau of the pro- September 2016 (Belgium): Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns. May 2017, (Austin, Texas, USA), http://sites.uci.edu/kr- UIS Department of Karst and Cave Protection and its Pre- gress with respect to the Cyprus Cave Project (EU funded) c. 43rd International Association of Hydrogeo- 8conference/: George Veni. sident. They noted each submission following an evalu- and the proposal made by the FFS (French), on Mediter- logists, 25-29 September 2016 (Montpellier, France), m. 25th International Karstological School, mid- ation framework about presentation, compilation, pho- ranean show cave monitoring, which has been supported http://www.60iah2016.org/en/. -June 2017 (Postojna, Slovenia): Nadja Zupan, Mladen tography, scientific content, legibility and original point by UIS. d. Geological Society of America Convention, 25- Garasic, and Zdenek Motycka. th of view. They decided unanimously to present the 2017 28 September 2016 (Denver, Colorado, USA), http://com- n. 34 Brazilian Congress of Speleology, 13-18 France Habe Prize, an amount of € 250, to the best and d. UNESCO International Year for Caves and Karst munity.geosociety.org/gsa2016/home: George Veni. June, 2017 (Ouro Preto, Brasil): Nivaldo Colzato, Jose-Ayr- Fadi NADER, Kyung SIK WOO, Nadja HAJNA ZUPAN e. Espeleo Tourismo Caripe, 23 to 25 November ton Labegalini, and Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns. more original contribution. and George VENI informed the UIS Bureau about the va- 2016 (Monagas, Venezuela): Efrain Mercado. o. NSS Convention, 19-23 June 2017 (Rio Rancho, The winner is this year Ir. JUNIAT Irawati from In- rious initiatives and activities with regard to the IYCK pro- f. 1st Asian Speleological Conference – 2nd Asian NM USA); http://nss2017.caves.org/: George Veni. donesia for the Protection and management of karst re- posal for 2021. Tanskarst Conference (Lichan, China): J-P Bartholeyns, A p. National Association of Mining History Orga- gions in Indonesia. Eavis, Z Motycka, and Kyung S. Woo. nisations Conference 2017, 23-26 June 2017 (Godstone, The jury congratulates the four others participants e. New Member-Country Proposals: Philippines, g. 20th Journées de Spéléologie Scientifique (Han- Surrey, UK), http://namho2017.info/ for their investment in karst and cave protection. Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka -sur-Lesse – Belgium): J-P Bartholeyns. q. 17th International Congress of Speleology, 23-30 Nominations for the 2018 France Habe Prize must Fadi NADER informed the UIS Bureau about three h. American Geophysical Union, 12-16 Decem- July 2017 (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), http:// be received by May 20, 2018. official requests for New Member Countries to bepre- ber 2016, (San Francisco, California, USA), 3 August abs- speleo2017.com/ sented to the UIS General Assembly. These are the Phili- tract deadline, http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2016/: Kyung c. Sami Karkabi Prize proposal (Fadi NADER) ppines, Kyrgyzstan, and Sri Lanka. For the latter country, Sik Woo. 10) Finalizing UIS General Assembly Agenda With Sami KARKABI (founder of the Speleo-Club it was still unclear whether the request was for regular i. Hypogea 2017: International Congress of Spele- The Agenda of both sessions of the General Assem- du Liban, which has been at the origin of developed spe- membership, association, affiliation or cooperation. Fadi ology in Artificial Cavities, 6-10 March 2017 (Cappado- bly was reviewed and amended to fit with the current si- leology in the Middle East) passing away in March 2017, NADER proposed to find out during the 17th ICS following cia, Turkey), www.hypogea2017.com. tuation (the minutes of the General Assembly is subject the Speleo-Club du Liban decided to organize a Prize in discussion with Armstrong OSBORNE, as he is involved in j. 3rd International Symposium of Speleology, 28 of a separate report). The accompanying PowerPoint files his memory. They asked the UIS to be associated to this the application. April-1st May 2017 (Varenna – Italy): J-P Bartholeyns, A. were finalized as well and made ready for projection. Prize. Cigna, K. S. Woo, and Nadja Zupan. Fadi NADER communicated the Lebanese request f. Returning Countries: Pakistan k. US Geological Survey Karst Interest Group 11) Closing to the UIS Bureau and showed a short movie that was Only one returning Member Country request was Meeting, 16-18 May 2017 (San Antonio, Texas, USA): The first session of the annual UIS Bureau Meeting made as a tribute for Sami KARKABI. received and that is Pakistan. Nevertheless, nobody from George Veni. for the year 2017 ended at 18h00 (local time). The decision on this request was postponed for Pakistan managed to attend the 17th ICS (Penrith, Aus- the next UIS Bureau meeting with the new Bureau Mem- tralia). bers after the elections in the second session of the Ge- neral Assembly. 8) Communication & Data General discussions followed among UIS Bureau 7) Requests for UIS Membership /Rela- members concerning operational issues and the follo- wing matters: tionships with International/Regional Organiza- tions & Countries a. UIS website (updated regularly, now with the Page 07/08 Page - 1 SESSION -

Fund-Raising link) 08/08 Page - 1 SESSION - a. ISCA (MOU)

b. Facebook (more than 1400 members) and social I cs I cs Th George VENI informed the UIS Bureau that the networks Th 17 17 document was finally ready for signature and he suggest c. Electronic Voting (operational since 2014) T he that Kyung Sik WOO sign it in Penrith (Sydney) during the T he d. Data storage, electronic archive in Postojna (on- © UIS A t A t congress so that he can bring the signed copy with him going) and send it to the President of ISCA. e. Bulletin (N. Colzato) Participants of the first session of the annual UIS Bureau Meeting 2017

f. UIS Documentation Centers M eetings M eetings b. AUS/FSE (Associated Organization of UIS) Left to right: John CUGLEY (Adjunct Secretary/Australia); Zdeněk MOTYČKA (Adjunct Secretary/Czech Republic); Fadi Fadi NADER informed the UIS Bureau that the AUS 9) Attendance on past speleology events NADER (Secretary General/Lebanon); George VENI (Vice-President of Administration/USA); Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns (Ad- B ureau sent an official request to be an Associated Organization (listing events and attendees) junct Secretary/Belgium); Mladen GARASIC (Adjunct Secretary/Croatia); Pavel BOSAK (Honorary Member/Czech Repub- B ureau U is lic); (President/Republic of Korea); (Past President/Italy); (Vice-President U is - - Kyung Sik WOO Arrigo Cigna Efrain MERCADO of the UIS. Though, this has been done before as repor- a. EuroKarst 2016, 5-7 September 2016 (Neu- - ted by Kyng Sik WOO, now we now have the official re- châtel, Switzerland), http://www.eurokarst.org/: Mladen for Operations/Puerto Rico);José Ayrton Labegalini (Past-President/Brazil); Nivaldo COLZATO (Adjunct Secretary/Brazil) quest. Garasic. and Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Adjunct Secretary/Slovenia). M inutes M inutes

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Afterward, representatives of following Depart- were published in the UIS Bulletin Volume 58-2 in 2016 MINUTES ments, Commissions, and Working Groups presented (see on http://www.uis-speleo.org/downloads/uis-bulle- verbal reports and information about their activities for tins/uisb582.pdf and sent to all national delegates. Follo- uis GENERAL ASSEMBLY the period of 2013-2017: Departments of Education and wing suggestions submitted by the delegates for further Karst and Cave Protection, Commissions of Archaeolo- modifications, a final version was printed and distributed th gy and Paleontology, Artificial Cavities, Arts and Letters, to the Delegates at the beginning of this Session. Dr. Fadi at the 17 ics Bibliography, Biology, Cave Diving, Cave Rescue, Glacier, Nader reminded the Delegates that they were informed Firn and Ice Caves, History of Speleology, Informatics, about the proposed changes more than 6 months before By Fadi H. NADER (Secretary General) - [email protected] Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis, Long, Deep and the 17th ICS General Assembly. He invited the Delegates Large Caves, Microbiology, Paleokarst and Speleochrono- to check again this document and cast their final com- logy, Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology, Pseudokarst, ments, if any, before voting. Mr. Friedhart Knolle (Dele- Speleotherapy, Techniques and Materials, and Volcanic gate of Germany) proposed to make a modification to Assembly that took place at the 16th ICS in Brno, Czech FIRST Session Caves, and the Cavers’ Dictionary, Publications Exchange, Article 3 (Purpose) by adding “lobby and promote” after July 23, 2017 Republic in July 2017. The General Assembly also appro- and Survey and Mapping Working Groups. Some submit- “to develop” in the third line. A discussion followed and ved the proposed agenda for the 2017 sessions. Penrith (Panthers Event Centre) ted their reports and arranged for UIS Vice President of Mr. Knolle agreed to change his proposal by dropping Sydney – AUSTRALIA Administration Dr. George Veni to read them. the word “lobby” but keeping “and to promote” inste- Mr. Arjan Van Waardenburg (voting delegate of ad. Prof. Dr. Pavel Bosak, on the behalf of the Advisory The Netherlands) proposed to add in the minutes of the The First Session of the General Assembly of the The General Assembly elected two auditors una- Committee declared that the modified UIS statutes and th 16th ICS General Assembly: “The assembly accepted the 17 International Congress of Speleology started at 10:36 nimously: Andreas Wolf (Germany) and Gheorghe Ponta Internal Regulations documents together with this last rd three proposals and asked the board to report on them”, on Sunday July 23 , 2017. It took place in the Panthers (Romania). change proposed by Mr. Knolle are constitutional and can in reference to the requests made by the French Federa- Event Centre in Penrith (Sydney, AUSTRALIA). The General Assembly unanimously elected three be voted on. tion of Speleology and Speleo Nederland in 2013. adjudicators for the elections of the new UIS Bureau: Mr. Prof. Kyung Sik Woo welcomed the participants to Andy Eavis (UK), Mr. Arjan Van Waardenburg (The Ne- The 28 Delegates present at the General Assembly th In the above mentioned minutes, the following the General Assembly of the 17 International Congress therlands), and Mr. Nicholas White (Australia), pending voted “yes” to the new UIS Statutes (unanimous vote). sentence was written:“The Advisory Committee also stu- of Speleology. Soon after, he declared the General Assem- that none of them will have a candidate from their country. Dr. Fadi Nader, explained to the General Assem- died the requests made by the FFS and Speleo Nederland bly open and asked the participants to observe a moment bly the background of the modifications on the Internal and suggested that the new UIS Bureau considers them of silence for all cavers and scientists who contributed to A short but comprehensive presentation of the Regulations and pointed out that this document is the seriously and proceed with convenient actions.” Yet, the the UIS and left the international community in betwe- only candidate for the 18th Congress of Speleology (2021) working document of the UIS structure, especially for the General Assembly did not accept the proposals. The Bu- en congresses (Alfredo Bini [I], Rajko Bracic [Si], Yaroslav was delivered by the representatives of the French Fe- UIS Bureau, that has only to be approved by the Assem- reau had investigated them seriously and replied to Mr. Chonka [Ua], Gyorgy Denes [H], Trevor Ford [Aus], Ivan deration of Speleology (Laurence Tanguille and Gael Ka- bly General without going into details of each article. Still, Van Waardenburg, then reported about that after the Gams [Si], Ken Grimes [Aus], Elery Hamilton-Smith [Aus], neko). Article 7 pertains to membership fees which had conside- annual Bureau Meeting in 2014 (as published in the mee- Steve Hudson [US], Sami Karkabi [Lb], Ted Lane [Aus], Mi- rable proposed modifications and needed specific con- ting minutes in UIS Bulletin Volume 57- 1 - see on http:// chel Letrone [F], Osvaldo Martinez [Ar], Charlie Self [Uk], A Lunch break was requested by the President, sideration. So he asked for a vote on this Article specifi- www.uis-speleo.org/downloads/uis-bulletins/uisb571. Nicholas Sullivan [US], Hubert Trimmel [A], and Norman Prof. Woo, at around 12:10 and the General Assembly re- cally and generally on approving the new document as a pdf). Veve [Pr]). -convened at around 14:30. whole. Of the present delegates at the time of vote, 24 This matter was explained to Mr. Van Waardenburg voted “yes” and only one delegate voted no (Arjan Van and the Delegate of The Netherlands. Mr. Van Waarden- Twenty-eight (28) member-countries (from 54) The Secretary General Dr. Fadi Nader introduced Waardenburg, The Netherlands). The remaining three burg agreed to withdraw his proposal in the second ses- were registered at the first session of the General As- official requests from Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines. Re- delegates were not present. sembly: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chi- sion of the General Assembly 2017. presentatives of both countries were invited to introduce na, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, their requests. Nivaldo Colzato introduced the UIS Prizes for this ICS. Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, The The President of the UIS, Prof. Woo presented the - The Kyrgyzstan representative (Mr. Andrei Ma- major updates regarding the UIS and the UN, especially Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, Slo- rkov) addressed the General Assembly at 14:45, and his Prof. Woo thanked again all the participants and Page 01/05 Page - the International Year of the Cave and Karst project pro- 02/05 Page - venia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, request was unanimously voted and accepted. closed the first session of the General Assembly of the I cs United States of America. posed for 2021. The Secretary General of the UIS, Dr. Fadi th rd I cs Th - Philippines representatives (Mr. Eric Bontuyan 17 ICS, at around 16:30 on Sunday July 23 , 2017. Th Nader, presented his report illustrating the major achie- and Mr. Marc Mentens) addressed the General Assembly - 17 - th th 17 - Prof. Woo, thanked the organizers of the 17 ICS vements of the Union and its Bureau since the 16 ICS. He at 15:35, and their request was also unanimously voted and the Australian Speleological Federation (ASF) for all also briefly introduced the major achievements recorded and accepted. SECOND Session the difficulties surmounted during the four previous ye- by the international speleological community. Dr. Nadja

assembly July 29, 2017 assembly

th Zupan Hajna, Acting Treasurer and Adjunct Secretary of ars. He invited Mr. Denis Marsh President of the 17 ICS Proposals from the floor were heard. Only Mr. Ar- Penrith (Panthers Event Centre) the UIS, presented the financial status of the Union, whi- to welcome the audience. Mr. Denis Marsh thanked the jan Van Waardenburg had a question related to the Re- Sydney – AUSTRALIA delegates for coming to Sydney and made a few introduc- ch can be summarized by a healthy input/output and he- general port of the Secretary General, asking to add a sentence general

st tory statements. althy financial status (UIS accounts on the 1 of July, 2017 on the matter pertaining to the request to have UIS listed

U is At the opening, a total of 37 member countries consisted of about 49,900 USD and 29,000 Euros). Both U is - - in an international sports organization. were registered: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, - reports of Dr. Fadi Nader and Dr. Nadja Zupan Hajna are The convened General Assembly unanimously ap- Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, published in the 2017 UIS Bulletin (Vol. 59-2). proved the minutes of the last sessions of the General The proposed version of the modified UIS Statutes France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, M inutes M inutes

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Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Gheorghe Ponta (Romania) after examining the books 9) International Conference on Geomorphology, The candidates were then individually invited by Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, and relevant documents provided by the Acting Treasu- 6-11 November 2017 (New Delhi, India), karst session, the head of the Election Committee – except Jean-Pierre Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, rer, presented the audit report and recommendations: http://www.icg2017.com/session.php Bartholeyns ahead of the election of the Vice President Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United Sta- 10) Workshop: Grotte de Han, New Dramatic of Administration – to introduce themself in front of the tes of America. Therefore, 37 delegates or their represen- Audit Report on the accounts of the Union Effect of Lighting, 16-18 November 2017 (Han-sur-Lesse, General Assembly before the election took place. Jean- tative proxies could cast their votes. Internationale de Spéléologie for the period of Belgium), [email protected]. -Pierre Bartholeyns, having already completed two con- August 2013 to July 1st 2017 11) To Know and Share Caves and Karsts: Un- secutive terms of Adjunct Secretary, had his last chance The UIS President declared the second session of “The treasury was reviewed point by point for the derstanding, Conservation, and Geotourism, 6-9 March to be elected as VP-Administration to remain in the UIS the General Assembly open, at around 09:20. Prof. Kyung last period (2013-2017) by Mr.Andreas Wolf (Germany) 2018 (Ardèche, France), https://dhuguet.wixsite.com/ca- Bureau. Sik Woo invited the French delegates to present their and Mr. Gheorghe Ponta (Romania) in Sydney. The tre- vesymposium2018 proposal for organizing the 18th International Congress of asurer provides us to all questions full information. We 12) The Sinkhole Conference, joint with the 3rd The new UIS President, Dr. George Veni, was elec- Speleology in 2021 in Lyon (France) before asking the Gene- thank for excellent work from treasurer, Dr. Nadja Zupan, Appalachian Karst Symposium, 2-6 April 2018 (Shepher- ted in the first round obtaining 19 votes (Mr. Motyčka ral Assembly to vote on their proposal. Voting followed and and recommend her discharge.” dstown, West Virginia, USA), http://www.sinkholeconfe- obtained 18 votes). Mr. Motyčka proposed himself can- it was unanimous (37 votes) in favor of the French proposal. Recommendations rence.com/ didate for the position of the UIS Vice President of Admi- • The position of Treasurer of the UIS should be es- 13) EuroKarst 2018, 2-6 July 2018 (Besançon, Fran- nistration. He was elected with 20 votes while Mr. Jean- The General Assembly then had to elect one Elec- tablished and should not be given a set period of office ce), http://www.eurokarst.org/ -Pierre Bartholeyns received 16 votes. Mr. Bartholeyns tion Committee member to replace Nicholas White (Aus- – stability in this position is essential. 14) 18th International Vulcanospeleology Sympo- proposed himself as a candidate to the following posi- tralia) because a candidate for the Bureau was nominated At this time the balance of the funds held by the sium, 21-27 July 2018 (Lava Beds National Monument, tion, UIS Vice President of Operations, where Mr. Efrain from his own country. Mr. Trevor Faulkner was elected UIS are 49,972.76 USD and 29,040.95 Euros. California, USA), http://www.vulcanospeleology.org/ Mercado was elected with 29 votes (Mr. Bartholeyns with 35 votes (Pavel Bosak – Czech Republic abstained). Andreas Wolf (Germany) and Gheorghe Ponta (Ro- sym18/ISV18.html received 8 votes). The UIS Secretary General, Dr. Fadi Na- mania) – the latter, Mr. Ponta could not sign the report 15) EuroSpeleo Forum 2018, 23-26 August 2018 der, was re-elected with 35 votes (2 delegates left their Prof. Woo, then, invited the representatives of the due to health problems (he was in the hospital). (Ebensee, Austria), http://eurospeleo.at/expo.html. ballots blank). The new UIS Treasurer, Dr. Nadja Hajna UIS Commissions to present their planned future activi- The auditors’ report was accepted with 35 votes (2 16) 24th International Conference on Subterrane- Zupan, was elected with 36 votes (and 1 blank ballot). ties for the period 2017-2021. delegates voted “No”). an Biology, 20-24 August 2018 (University of Aveiro, Por- tugal), http://24icsb.web.ua.pt/. The UIS Adjunct Secretaries were elected in one Following the approval of the new Statutes during The major speleological events which will take pla- round. Since there were two candidates from one coun- the first session of the General Assembly, the Bureau re- ce between 2017 and 2021, were listed and presented. The elections of the New UIS Bureau were introdu- try (Italy), Dr. Fadi Nader had asked the delegates to vote minded everyone that Departments and Working Groups The comprehensive list will also appear in the next UIS ced by Mr. Andy Eavis who explained the procedure follo- only for one candidate from Italy (since the Bureau can- no longer existed. Departments became Commissions Bulletin and on the UIS website. wing the UIS Constitution (17 votes minimum for election not have two members from the same country according and Working Groups needed to decide if they wished to 1) International Clean-up of Gouffre Berger, 1-15 in the first round). The two other adjudicators were: Mr. to UIS Statutes). The Election Committee later found become Commissions or stay within their Commissions August 2017 (Vercors, France), http://cds39.fr/BFC/index. Arjan Van Waardenburg (The Netherlands) and Mr. Tre- that this is not correct and that the voting should be for th as committees or some other title. All of the now-Com- 2) 11 Balkan Caving Camp, 28 August – 3 Sep- vor Faulkner (UK). all candidates and the Italian candidate with the higher missions that reported during first session reported on tember 2017 (Leonidio, Greece), https://archive.org/ Mr. Andy Eavis introduced the candidates: votes would be elected, if the candidate received at le- their meetings during the previous week and plans for details/11thBalkanCaversCamp2017 or https://www. ast 50% of the votes. The first vote was not counted and the next four years. The only significant change was the facebook.com/11th-Balkan-Caving-Camp-2017-in-Leoni- UIS President the first round repeated with following members were deactivation of the Microbiology Commission and include dio-301383733616075/ Mr. Zdeněk Motyčka (Czech Republic) elected: its activities within the Biology Commission. The reports 3) 11th EuroSpeleo Forum, 15-17 September 2017 Dr. George Veni (USA) Mr. Nivaldo Colzato of Brazil (33 votes); and proposed actions were approved (by 34 votes; two (Ferrières, Belgium), https://www.speleovvs.be/index. UIS Vice President of Administration Prof. Dr. Mladen Garačic of Croatia(32 votes); delegates voted “No”). All Commissions will send their php/en/caving-days Mr. Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns (Belgium) Mr. Bernard Chirol of France (27 votes); meeting reports to the Vice President of Administration 4) Biospeleology Conference, 21-23 September UIS Vice President of Operations Mr. Satoshi Goto of Japan (29 votes); in due time to be published in the UIS Bulletin. 2017 (Seville, Spain), https://5encuentrobssevill.wixsite. Mr. Efrain Mercado (Puerto Rico) Mr. Gyula Hegedus of Hungary (25 votes); com/veibs UIS Secretary General Dr. Tim Moulds of Australia (28 votes); and Page 03/05 Page - Followed the report on proposals, motions and 5) 44th International Association of Hydrogeolo- Dr. Fadi Nader (Lebanon) Mrs. Bärbel Vogel of Germany (29 votes). 04/05 Page - I cs I cs Th decisions. The ISCA-UIS MOU (document shared with gists Congress, 25-29 September 2017 (Dubrovnik, Cro- UIS Treasurer Th - 17 - delegates in the first session) was approved by the Ge- atia), http://iah2017.org/ Prof. Nadja Zupan Hajna (Slovenia) The unsuccessful candidates from the first round 17 - neral Assembly (33 voted “YES”, 3 abstained). LICAS (Sri 6) National Cave and Karst Management Sym- UIS Adjunct Secretaries were the two Italian candidates (Dr. Daniela Pani, 16 vo- Lanka NGO) proposal to be UIS Cooperative Member was posium, 16-20 October 2017 (Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Nivaldo Colzato (Brazil) tes; Prof. Mario Parise, 23 votes). Prof. Dr. Mladen Garašic (Croatia) assembly then approved by 36 votes (1 abstained). Support for the USA), http://www.nckms2017.com/ assembly

World Heritage Nomination of the Peruacu Valley in Bra- 7) British Cave Research Associationth 28 Cave Bernard Chirol (France) The Statement of the newly elected UIS President zil, proposed by Mr. Labegalini (Brazil) was approved by Science Symposium, 20-21 October 2017 (Leeds, UK), Satoshi Goto (Japan) was presented by Dr. George Veni, following the elec- general Gyula Hegedus (Hungary) general

36 votes (1 abstention). Finally, Mr Arjan Van Waarden- website to be announced. tions. He thanked the audience and expressed his will to Dr. Tim Moulds (Australia) move forward with the new UIS Bureau and work hard for U is burg withdrew his proposal for modifying the minutes of 8) Geological Society of America Convention, 22- U is - - the previous 2013 General Assembly (see above), pledging 25 October (Seattle, -Washington, USA), http://www.ge- Dr. Daniella Pani (Italy) the Union. He thanked the members of the past Bureau. - to continue working for the benefits of cavers and UIS. osociety.org/GSA/Events/Annual_Meeting/GSA/Events/ Prof. Mario Parise (Italy) Mrs. Kempe proposed that the Bureau to write a Two budget auditors, Andreas Wolf (Germany) and gsa2017.aspx Bärbel Vogel (Germany). letter to thank the children who drew all the flags of the M inutes M inutes

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UIS Member countries which were displayed at the Gene- reau. He distributed President’s Certificates of acknow- ral Assembly and the Opening Ceremony of the ICS. This ledgements and his own presents to all of them and to MINUTES proposal was approved unanimously, and Nicholas Whi- other Commissions leaders and individuals who helped te suggested himself to deliver the letter of the UIS. Mr. tremendously the UIS. This was followed by a surprise to Efrain Mercado then proposed to the General Assembly Kyung Sik Woo consisting of a certificate prepared for him uis BUREAU MEETINGs to recognize the long-life achievements and work toward and signed by the previous presidents. at the 17th ics international speleology of Mr. Ángel Eusebio Graña Gon- July 22-29, 2017 - Penrith (Panthers Event Centre) – Sydney (Australia) zález of the Cuban Speleological Society. 35 delegates vo- Finally, the UIS Past-President in a short conclusive ted yes to this proposal (one abstained). speech declared the Assembly General of the 17th ICS, as By Fadi H. NADER (Secretary General) - [email protected] closed at 13:08. He invited everybody to join around the Former UIS President, Prof. Kyung Sik Woo, addres- UIS Flag to complete the closing ceremony with giving th Session 2 - Sunday July 29, 2017; at 14h37 (local time) sed the Assembly and thanked the members of his Bu- the UIS Flag to the 18 ICS organizers. (after second session of General Assembly and election of new Bureau)

Photos of the UIS General Assembly 2017 (Sydney, Australia) ATTENDANCE HEGEDUS, Tim MOULDS and Bärbel VOGEL joined the UIS Bureau. President: George VENI Kyung Sik WOO expressed how difficult it would be Vice-President of Administration: Zdeněk MOTYČKA for him to leave the UIS Bureau as a President and con- Vice-President of Operations: Efrain MERCADO gratulated George VENI. Secretary General: Fadi H. NADER Treasurer: Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA 13) Operations and responsibilities of the Adjunct Secretaries: members of the UIS Bureau Bernard CHIROL Nivaldo COLZATO a. Review job responsibilities following the Internal

Nivaldo Colzato Regulations José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Mladen GARAŠIĆ Satoshi GOTO George VENI informed the Bureau Members about the way the Bureau will function and the responsibilities of Pavel Bosak, Fadi Nader and Nadja Zupan Hajna General view of the room. Gyula HEGEDUS coordinating the registration of the Delegates. each member in his/her capacity based on the UIS Statutes Bärbel VOGEL and Internal Regulations. He also expressed his intention to Honorary Members/Past-Presidents: have frequent communications with Executive Officers and Pavel BOSAK Bureau Members by email and skype. Andy EAVIS José Ayrton LABEGALINI b. Follow-up of Commissions Kyung Sik WOO Since Zdenek MOTYCKA was elected Vice-President Past Bureau Members for Administration, he will follow up on commissions instead Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns of George VENI. The reports of Commissions should be in- John CUGLEY cluded in the next UIS Bulletin (cf. Nivaldo COLZATO).

José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton Bureau members not in attendance: ACTION 2: George VENI will write an email to presi- Tim MOULDS Nivaldo Colzato Mladen Garasic (Croatia), presenting his dents of Commissions asking them to send their reports to Nivaldo COLZATO for publishing in the next UIS Bulle- Delegates voting at the first session. candidacy for the next UIS Bureau. 12) Welcoming New Bureau Members tin, and informing them that Zdenek MOTYCKA, elected George VENI (elected President of the UIS) opened VP-Administration will do the follow-up until the upcom- th the second session of the Bureau meeting (and the first ing 18 ICS (Lyon, France, 2021). 01/04 Page - 2 SESSION -

meeting with the newly elected Bureau) in Penrith (Austra- I cs Page 05/05 Page - DECISION 3: UIS Bureau decided to keep the annu- Th lia) by welcoming all new Bureau members and thanking all 17 I cs

Th previous members for their work and dedication to the UIS. al global budget cap for Commissions financial support at 2000 Euros, as was before. T he - 17 - After the election at the second session of the Gen- A t th eral Assembly at the 17 ICS, Bernard CHIROL (France), Ni- c. National Delegates, Organizations and Regional bodies valdo COLZATO (Brazil), Mladen GARASIC (Croatia), Satoshi In order to achieve pertinent communications with assembly GOTO (Japan), Gyula HEGEDUS (Hungary), Tim MOULDS Member Countries and those countries aspiring to be mem- M eetings (Australia), and Bärbel VOGEL (Germany) were (re-)elect- bers or to resume membership with the UIS, a decision was José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton ed as Adjunct Secretaries. Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Slovenia) made to appoint specific Bureau Members as focal contacts general B ureau was elected as the first Treasurer of the UIS. Fadi NADER for certain countries in order to establish contact. THE ELECTION COMMITTEE - From left to right: Denis Marsh, President of the 17th International U is U is (Lebanon) was re-elected as Secretary General. Then Efrain Satoshi GOTO will take care of communications with - - Trevor Faulkner (UK), Andy Eavis (UK), and Congress, presents the UIS flag to Gael Kaneko, Pre- - MERCADO (Puerto Rico) was re-elected as VP-Operations Asian countries (also through his functions at AUS). Efrain Arjan Van Waardenburg (The Netherlands). sident of the next congress in Lyon, France in 2021. and Zdenek MOTYCKA (Czech Republic) was elected as MERCADO will also establish contact with Venezuela and VP-Administration. Bernard CHIROL, Satoshi GOTO, Gyula Costa Rica (and FEALC). M inutes M inutes

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ACTION 3: Satoshi GOTO will contact Vietnam and 14) UIS Advisory Committee o. EuroSpeleo Forum 2018, 23-26 August 2018 (Eb- 2 - The theme of the photo competition should be dif- Mongolia and establish communication with those Mem- The UIS Bureau agreed to ask Paul Williams and ensee, Austria), http://eurospeleo.at/expo.html. ferent than those at the UIS/ICS Photo-Salon Competitions; ber Countries. He will report to the UIS Bureau with fur- Friedrich Oedl to serve on the UIS Advisory Committee. If p. 24th International Conference on Subterranean 3 - Collaboration is recommended with the organizers ther information and country focal contacts. the agree, the committee will include: Andy Eavis, Pavel Biology, 20-24 August 2018 (University of Aveiro, Portu- of the ISC/UIS Prizes (e.g. the FFS for the 18th ICS, in 2021); and Bosak, Jose Ayrton Labegalini, Kyung Sik Woo, Friedrich gal), http://24icsb.web.ua.pt/. 4 - Proposal to include Albert ANAVY to the prize, ACTION 4: Efrain MERCADO will resume contact Oedl, and Paul Williams. since he was the first Secretary General of the UIS and a with Venezuela and Costa Rica and report to the UIS Bu- 16) UIS Bureau 2018 meeting very close friend to Sami KARKABI with whom they found- reau with updates. ACTION 7: George VENI will contact Friedrich Oedl The proposal by Efrain MERCADO on the behalf of ed the Speleo-Club du Liban and played important roles on and Paul Williams and invite them to serve on the UIS FEALC, to have the UIS Bureau meeting at the upcoming the national and international levels. d. Identifying projects/responsibilities for Advisory Committee. FEALC Congress in Colombia (second week of August 2018; Adjunct Secretaries 13/08/2018) was well received by the UIS Bureau Mem- DECISION 8: The UIS Bureau agreed on being asso- DECISION 6: The UIS Advisory Committee (2017) bers who thought that it would be a good opportunity for ciated to the “Sami Karkabi Prize”, the first to be awarded th • Fund raising: The website is ready for fund-raising. includes: Mr Andy Eavis (UK); Dr. Pavel Bosak (CZ); Mr. the UIS to meet with FEALC, though some concerns about at the 18 ICS in Lyon (France) in 2021. The UIS Bureau Zdenek MOTYCKA and Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA will follow up on Jose-Ayrton Labegalini (BR); Kyung Sik Woo (KO), Dr. Frie- security were also expressed. also made some suggestions with respect to the mecha- this matter in 2017 (especially concerning receiving donation drich Oedl, jr. (A); Dr. Paul Williams (NZ). Another significant event for 2018 is the Euro-Spe- nism of award and nature of the Prize. through PayPal, clarification with the bank is needed). leo Forum which will take place in Austria. The UIS Bureau 15) Future Meetings and Events of Interest ACTION 10: Fadi NADER will write a letter to the agreed that at least some members of the Bureau should Lebanese Speleo-Club, replying positively on their re- ACTION 5: Zdenek MOTYCKA and Nadja ZUPAN HAJ- be there as well to represent the UIS. a. International Clean-up of Gouffre ,Berger 1-15 quest to associate the UIS to their international, “Sami NA will ask the bank in Slovenia about any drawbacks in re- Karkabi Prize,” on the behalf of the Bureau, and forward- August 2017 (Vercors, France), http://cds39.fr/BFC/index. DECISION 7: The UIS Bureau meeting for the year ceiving donations through PayPal and viable solutions. th ing them with the suggestions of the UIS Bureau. b. 11 Balkan Caving Camp, 28 August – 3 Sep- 2018 will be at the FEALC Congress in Colombia, if security tember 2017 (Leonidio, Greece), https://archive.org/de • Funding Expeditions: The UIS Bureau agreed to permits. Representation of the UIS will also be organized d. Committee for Prizes tails/11thBalkanCaversCamp2017 or https://www.fa- launch the Funding Expeditions Project (proposed by Z. MO- for the Euro-Speleo Forum in Austria. cebook.com/11th-Balkan-Caving-Camp-2017-in-Leoni- TYCKA) in December 2017 for the year of 2018. Up to three DECISION 9: The UIS Bureau agrees on having a dio-301383733616075/ funds will be granted with a global funding cap of 3000 Euros. 17) Any other business committee for UIS Prizes composed of Nivaldo COLZATO, c. 11th EuroSpeleo Forum, 15-17 September 2017 Jose-Ayrton LABEGALINI, Mladen GARASIC, and Jean- (Ferrières, Belgium), https://www.speleovvs.be/index. DECISION 4: UIS Bureau decided to launch Funding a. ICSU Congress (2017) -Pierre BARTHOLEYNS. php/en/caving-days Expedition Project for 2018. Up to three funds will be gi- The attendance of Kyung Sik WOO at ICSU Congress d. Biospeleology Conference, 21-23 September 2017 e. Internal Regulations ven with a global budget (for the three of them) of 3000 (25-26 October 2017) in Taipei (TAIWAN) to represent UIS (Seville, Spain), https://5encuentrobssevill.wixsite.com/veibs The modified Internal Regulations have also been Euros. Advertisement will be made on UIS website as of was decided during the 2016 UIS Bureau meeting. If Kyung th reviewed by the National Delegates in 2017. They need to e. 44 International Association of Hydrogeologists Sik WOO cannot attend, the Bureau will appoint somebody December 2017. be re-adapted to the latter’s requested modifications. Congress, 25-29 September 2017 (Dubrovnik, Croatia), else to represent the UIS at the ICSU Congress. http://iah2017.org/ • UN / UNESCO NGOs: Bärbel VOGEL suggested to f. National Cave and Karst Management Sym- ACTION 11: Fadi NADER and George VENI will revise inscribe the UIS as a UN NGO. Fadi NADER also informed ACTION 8: George VENI will find out who can repre- posium, 16-20 October 2017 (Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the Internal Regulations based on the National Delegates the Bureau that during the previous meeting at UNESCO, sent the UIS at the ICSU Congress in October 2017 if Kyung USA), http://www.nckms2017.com/ comments and propose a new version to be discussed at the Country Delegations strongly recommended the in- Sik WOO is unable to attend. g. British Cave Research Association 28th Cave the next UIS Bureau meeting. scription of the UIS on the UNESCO NGO list (relatively Science Symposium, 20-21 October 2017 (Leeds, UK), easy through Internet). b. MOU Karst Institute Slovenia f. Documentation Centers website to be announced. Having noticed that no official documents exist between h. Geological Society of America Convention, 22- The first established UIS Documentation Center (or ACTION 6: Bärbel VOGEL will investigate about the the Karst Institute of Slovenia and the UIS, a decision has been library) was done by the Swiss Speleological Society. It is 25 October (Seattle, -Washington, USA), http://www.ge- made to prepare an MOU between the two organizations. UN and UNESCO lists of NGOs and the possibilities for the osociety.org/GSA/Events/Annual_Meeting/GSA/Events/ located in La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland). Though it is UIS to be registered in such lists. gsa2017.aspx called as such, this library does not belong to the UIS. The ACTION 9: Pavel BOSAK and Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA will case applies to the Bologna Speleo Library and many other i. International Conference on Geomorphology, prepare a draft MOU document to be discussed by UIS Bureau. Page 02/04 Page - 2 SESSION - • IYCK 2021: The UIS Bureau discussed the situa- 6-11 November 2017 (New Delhi, India), karst session, libraries around the world. 03/04 Page - 2 SESSION - The UIS Working Group led by Trevor Faulkner es- tion regarding the UIS proposal for an International Year I cs http://www.icg2017.com/session.php c. Sami Karkabi Prize Proposal (follow up from I cs Th of Caves and Karst for 2021. It was clear that the group’s tablished contact with 72 libraries around the world. This Th

17 Point 6d., above) j. Workshop: Grotte de Han, New Dramatic Effect of 17 learning curve about how to deal with such initiative has Lighting, 16-18 November 2017 (Han-sur-Lesse, Belgium), The proposal of associating the UIS to the Lebanese is an impressive network for the visibility of the UIS and the T he improved considerably for the UIS in the last year. The com- [email protected]. “Sami Karkabi Prize” was discussed with the newly elected Bureau expressed interest in having more communication T he A t munications with ICSU, UNESCO and even the UN should be k. To Know and Share Caves and Karsts: Understanding, Bureau. Briefly, the Lebanese cavers have set an internation- with such entities. A t even more engaged in order to have at least one country al prize (worth of at least 500 US Dollars) and they request Conservation, and Geotourism, 6-9 March 2018 (Ardèche, ACTION 12: Zdenek MOTYCKA will communicate making the proposal at UNESCO then UN councils by Octo- to associate the UIS with this prize by having it awarded at France), https://dhuguet.wixsite.com/cavesymposium2018 with Trevor FAULKNER about international documenta- ber/November 2017. Otherwise, the next opportunity will rd M eetings l. The Sinkhole Conference, joint with the 3 Appa- the ICS. The Prize shall be funded entirely by the Lebanese M eetings be in 2019. The UIS Bureau asked Fadi NADER to be the lachian Karst Symposium, 2-6 April 2018 (Shepherdstown, Speleo-Club (not by the UIS). The jury will be made up of tion centers and means of having a related viable net- coordinator of this initiative and proposal. West Virginia, USA), http://www.sinkholeconference.com/ members of the UIS (or selected by UIS Bureau) and Leba- work with UIS. He will prepare a motion for actions to B ureau m. EuroKarst 2018, 2-6 July 2018 (Besançon, nese speleologists. It shall involve cave photography. be proposed at the next UIS Bureau meeting. B ureau U is DECISION 5: The UIS Bureau members are asked to France), http://www.eurokarst.org/ After long discussion the UIS Bureau voted in favor of U is - - maintain pressure and make sure that their countries sup- n. 18th International Vulcanospeleology Symposium, the Lebanese request and made some recommendations. g. Finances - port the 2021 IYCK UNESCO project. Fadi Nader will liaise 21-27 July 2018 (Lava Beds National Monument, California, 1 - The number of the jury Members should be odd, The UIS General Assembly approved the amended between UNESCO delegations in Paris, ICSU and UIS. http://www.vulcanospeleology.org/sym18/ISV18.html in order to facilitate the decision making; of fee categories of member countries. The approved

USA), M inutes M inutes

UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 108/ 123 UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 109/ 123 BULLETIN BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Union Internationale de Spéléologie categories and fees will be published on the UIS website Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA also informed the Bureau and in the UIS Bulletin. The minimum yearly fees of Affili- that she will wait for the 17th ICS organizers to declare the ated Organizations of the UIS will coincide with Category final income of the 17th ICS. Since according to the UIS STATUTES OF THE INTERNATIONAL C (proposed 240 €), and this will also be published in the regulations, 5% of the income would be paid to the UIS. UIS Bulletin and on the UIS website. The calculated amount will be less nine registrations that UNION OF SPELEOLOGY (uis) were sponsored by UIS, and less the mailing expenses for ACTION 13: Nivaldo COLZATO and Efrain MERCA- sending the UIS books back to Slovenia. DO will publish in the upcoming UIS Bulletin and on the Adopted by vote of the UIS General Assembly at the 4th International Congress of Speleology (Ljubljana, 1965), UIS website the new categories and fees for Member ACTION 15: Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Treasurer of the and modified at the: Countries and Affiliated Organizations. UIS) will inform the UIS Bureau about the exact amount - 5th International Congress of Speleology (Stuttgart, 1969), of income returned to the UIS after the 17th ICS. th Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA explained the financial situ- - 7 International Congress of Speleology (Sheffield, 1977), th ation of the UIS Bank accounts and informed the UIS 18) Closing Session (President) + Setting - 12 International Congress of Speleology (La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1997), th Bureau that on the deposited (blocked) accounts will be the Action List for 2018 - 14 International Congress of Speleology (Kalamos, 2005) th freed on the 27th of July, 2017. So a decision has to be At 17h30, George VENI closed the second session of - 17 International Congress of Speleology (Sydney, Australia, 2017) made on how much to block for next year. the Penrith (Sydney), 2017 UIS Bureau meeting and thanked everybody for their presence and their contribution. Preamble the UIS can be bought or sold through the decision of the ACTION 14: The UIS Bureau asked Nadja ZUPAN According to the Union Internationale de Spéléologie’s UIS Bureau. HAJNA (Treasurer of the UIS) to block for the coming 12 ACTION 16: Fadi NADER will prepare the minutes Act of Societies Article 11 (official paper of the Republic of 12. The UIS is a non-profit organization that may sell months 20000 Euros and 35000 US Dollars. of the meetings and the Action List for 2018. Slovenia Nº 60/5) created during the 4th International Con- goods and services and accept donations that are not con- gress of Speleology in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, on September trary to its non-profit status. © UIS 16, 1965, and amended during the session of the General 13. The UIS can be dissolved by a vote of more than Assembly held on July 23, 2001 in Brasilia DF, Brazil during two-thirds of the members of its General Assembly. In the the 13th International Congress of Speleology, the Union’s case of UIS dissolution, the General Assembly of the UIS will General Assembly set the Union’s stable address in Slove- decide to whom the assets, property, and authority of the nia in accordance with the Slovenian law about Associations UIS will belong. (Zakon o društvih, Official Journal of the Republic of Slove- nia 64/11). Article 3: Purpose The purpose of the UIS is to promote fellowship betwe- Article 1: Scope en people in all countries who are interested in caves, karst, These Statutes are the basic act of the International and related features and terrains (called “speleologists” Union of Speleology (UIS). in UIS documents), to develop and promote all aspects of speleology (scientific, technical, cultural, sporting, social, Article 2: Name and general function and economic), and the protection and management of the 1. The name of this organization is: Mednarodna world’s speleological and karst heritage in ways conducive speleološka zveza UIS, Union Internationale de Spéléologie to sustainable development in all locations where caves or (hereafter referred to in English as “International Union of speleological activities occur. The administration of the UIS Speleology,” “Union,” or “UIS”). is described in detail in the Internal Regulations and asso- 2. The UIS office and address is 6230 Postojna, Titov trg ciated documents described therein. 2, Slovenia. 3. The UIS is a legal subject of Slovene law. Article 4: Members of the UIS Page 04/04 Page - 2 SESSION - 4. The UIS has a logo and other symbolic emblems defi- (a) The UIS is an association of countries (called “Mem-

I cs ned in the UIS Visual Identity Guide. ber Countries”). The Member Countries are not represented Th

17 5. The UIS is governed by its General Assembly. by the actual national governments but by speleologists in Mladen Garasic 6. The UIS General Assembly elects the UIS Bureau to those countries by whatever means they decide, typically by T he

A t conduct the business of the UIS. national speleological organizations. 7. The UIS Representative to Slovenia is appointed by the UIS Bureau. (b) Speleologists of each Member Country nominate, 8. The UIS can be associated with caving and other or- by their choice of means, two Delegates: a Delegate and a M eetings ganizations in Slovenia and abroad. Substitute Delegate. These Delegates are persons authori- Second meeting of the UIS Bureau 9. The UIS works on a volunteer basis and is open to zed to represent their countries and ensure the link betwe- th 2017-2021 at the 17 ICS B ureau the public. en the UIS Bureau and the speleologists of their country,

(Penrith - Sydney, Australia) U is 10. The UIS publicizes its activities directly by publishing particularly on matters regarding the information, docu- - - reports and/or through public media. mentation, and financing of the UIS. Use of “Delegate” in 11. The UIS can have real or other property, which must these Statutes implies the Substitute Delegate if the Dele- Mladen Garasic be listed as property of the UIS in its inventory. Property of gate is not available. STATUTES OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SPELEOLOGY (UIS) - Page 01/03 (UIS) - Page UNION OF SPELEOLOGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTES M inutes

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(c) The term of office for each Delegate is the period be- Candidates who lose election for one position may run for (d) Member Countries that have not paid their fees for 3. contributions from private and public individuals, tween two Regular meetings of the UIS’s General Assembly. a lower position. If there are an insufficient number of can- more than three years at the date of a General Assembly institutions, organizations, corporations, and other sources, Each Member Country can re-nominate the same Delega- didates for a position, then nominations will be open to the meeting have no right to vote. provided these contributions do not conflict with the UIS’s tes at the end of their term or nominate different people as floor of the General Assembly. Code of Ethics or other regulations, guidelines, and standards; the Delegates. Countries wishing to change their Delegates (e) During its meeting, the General Assembly elects, by 4. the sale of any goods or services either offered to the must inform the UIS Bureau of their nomination in writing (e) The President, Vice Presidents, and Adjunct Secre- the majority of the attending Delegates, one of the candi- UIS or prepared under its supervision, which include (with before the opening of the General Assembly. taries can hold their positions for no more than two conse- date countries proposing to organize the next International Slovene current commercial activity codes, which may be cutive terms. The Secretary General and Treasurer may be Congress. If there is no candidate country or no country se- amended in the future without modifying these Statutes): (d) Organizations interested in the development of spe- re-elected without any time limitation. lected during a Congress, the UIS Bureau will propose new i. Retail sale of newspapers and stationery in speciali- leology and in the activities of the UIS may apply in writing candidates within 6 months and may organize an Extraordi- zed outlets (G47.6.2); to become an Associated, Affiliated, or Cooperative Organi- (f) Between Congresses, the Bureau represents the nary General Assembly to select the country that will host the ii. Retail sale of sporting equipment in specialized ou- zation of the UIS. UIS and makes all decisions concerning the administration Congress. In case of renunciation by the elected country, the tlets (G47.6.4); of the UIS. Bureau members should bring information and UIS Bureau will select a new country to host the Congress. iii. Publishing of all printed and digitally developed ma- (e) Associated, Affiliated, and Cooperative organiza- perspectives from their countries but do not represent their terials (books, journals, periodicals, etc.) (J58.1.4); tions may appoint a representative to the UIS, who may par- countries; their first duty is to the good of the UIS and all (f) The General Assembly approves the activities of the iv. Educational materials (P85.5.9); ticipate in the UIS’s open meetings but does not have the of its Member Countries. Decisions are made by a simple Commissions. v. Botanical and zoological gardens and nature reserve right to vote in the UIS’s decisions. This representative ensu- majority vote of all Bureau members present. activities (R91.0.4); res the contacts and the exchange of information between Article 8: Functioning of the UIS vi. Other sports activities (R93.1.9); the organization and the UIS Bureau. Article 6: Representative to Slovenia (a) The Bureau is accountable to the General Assem- vii. Activities of professional membership organizations (a) The UIS Representative to Slovenia is appointed by a bly. The activities of the Bureau are defined by the Internal (S94.1.2); (f) Member Countries that have not paid their annual majority vote of the UIS Bureau, either in person or electro- Regulations and are in accordance with these Statutes. The viii. Advertising activities (M.73.110); fees for more than four consecutive years, without an ac- nically if conditions for authentication and non-repudiation Internal Regulations describe the prerogatives, roles and ix. Other professional, scientific and technical activities cepted reason, lose their membership to the UIS. If someo- are met. responsibilities of each member of the Bureau, the proto- n.e.c. (M.74.900); ne from that country is serving on the UIS’s Bureau at that cols for the UIS’s activities, and the UIS’s relationships with x. Photographic activities (M.74.200); (b) The UIS Representative to Slovenia shall be respon- time, that person loses his or her Bureau position. Affiliated other organizations. Where these Statutes do not provide xi. Organization of conventions and trade shows sible for the following as they relate to Slovenian law and Organizations which have not paid for their annual fees for information or guidance, the Internal Regulations will be (N.82.300). obligations in Slovenia: more than two consecutive years, without an accepted rea- followed. son, lose their affiliation to the UIS. 1. ensures the implementation policy and management (f) The Treasurer receives and manages all financial priorities of the UIS; resources of the UIS, following the guidelines established (b) The General Assembly is responsible for the esta- Article 5: Bureau of the UIS 2. facilitates official visits of members of the UIS Gene- by the Bureau, and arranges and is responsible for proper blishment of Commissions. Membership of Commissions (a) During each Regular General Assembly meeting, ral Assembly and Bureau and their meetings; accounting procedures which will be examined annually is open to all speleologists who wish to participate. Com- the Delegates elect by secret ballot a Bureau comprised of a 3. communicates for and represents the UIS in official by an independent auditor hired by the UIS and checked missions usually meet during the UIS’s Congresses or at President, Vice President of Administration, Vice President matters concerning legal registration, activities, operations, by two auditors during the Regular General Assembly me- other International Meetings. The members elect their own of Operations, Secretary General, and Treasurer, collective- and organization; eting. These latter two auditors are elected by the General President, who is responsible for the Commission and who ly known as the “officers” or “Executive Committee” of the 4. manages UIS financial affairs as directed by the UIS Assembly and must belong to countries other than that of reports to the Bureau. Commissions are required to keep Bureau, and Adjunct Secretaries. The number of Adjunct Se- Bureau; the Treasurer. the Bureau informed of their activities. The Bureau can take cretaries is described in the Internal Regulations. 5. assures logistical and administrative support to the UIS General Assembly and Bureau. necessary actions to develop Commissions, or to suspend them if they are insufficiently active or no longer deemed Article 9: Commissions (b) Bureau Members must be proposed by any UIS De- Article 7: General Assembly necessary. The Commissions are internal organizations within the legate, Commission President, or Bureau Member (inclu- UIS that are directed by the Bureau. They are organized to (a) The General Assembly of the UIS is the collected ding Invited and Honorary Members). Each elected Bureau study, collaborate, or work on some specific aspect of spe- Member Countries as represented by their Delegates. It ser- (c) The Bureau may establish Committees as needed for Member must be a citizen of a different Member County, leology with experts and interested parties from around the ves as the highest rule-making and administrative authority specific issues or assistance. The tasks, duration, and mem- including Invited Members but not Honorary Members. world. in the UIS. Its function is to provide oversight and approval bership of a Committee depend on its purpose. The Bureau (c) Bureau members are elected by absolute majority for major activities of the UIS as conducted by the Bureau. will define each Committee’s purpose, and may define its on a first ballot or by relative majority on a second ballot. In tasks, duration, and membership or assign some or all of Article 10: Modification of Statutes case of tied votes on the second ballot, the candidate with (b) The General Assembly meets during each Interna- those duties to the Committee. (a) Any proposal for modification of theStatutes of the the greater number of votes on the first ballot is elected. If tional Congress of Speleology, where the President and Se- UIS must be submitted by written notification to the UIS this first ballot was also tied, a third vote will be held betwe- cretary General deliver their reports. For any decisions by (d) The official languages of the UIS are also those of Bureau at least six months before the meeting of the Ge- en only the tied candidates. the Assembly, each country has only one vote. The General the International Congress of Speleology: English, French, neral Assembly. The proposal shall be studied by a commit- Assembly meeting is presided over by the UIS President or German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. tee established by the Bureau, and it shall be subject to the (d) Candidates for the Bureau should be nominated and other designated Bureau Member. judgment of the General Assembly. Decisions are made by a announced at least two days prior to the election. Individu- (e) The UIS obtains its finances from: simple majority of the General Assembly. als can be nominated for no more than one position at one (c) At the initiative of the Bureau or at the request of 1. annual fees paid by the speleological associations of time. Elections will occur in the following order: President, not less than one third of the Member Countries of the UIS, Member Countries of the UIS as defined in the Internal Re- (b) In the case of disagreement on the interpretation Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Opera- an Extraordinary General Assembly meeting can be called; gulations as approved by the General Assembly; of these Statutes, the original text in the English language tions, Secretary General, Treasurer, and Adjunct Secretaries. the UIS’s Internal Regulations define this process. 2. annual fees paid by Affiliated Organizations of the UIS; shall be definitive. STATUTES OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SPELEOLOGY (UIS) - Page 02/03 (UIS) - Page UNION OF SPELEOLOGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTES STATUTES OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SPELEOLOGY (UIS) - Page 03/03 (UIS) - Page UNION OF SPELEOLOGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTES

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IN MEMORIAM stages au laboratoire de Moulis, alors sous l’autorité d’A. Mangin. Né vers Paris en 1942, il Alain Mangin avait fait ses études secondaires France, 1942-2017 au lycée de Pamiers (Ariège), il était membre du Groupe Spéléo de Foix et a topographié la grotte By Bernard Chirol (France) du Pesquié en Ariège. President of the UIS History of Speleology Commission Il a exploré le sud du Mas- [email protected] sif Central et plus tard, il fut ame- Avec la collaboration de C. Juberthie, R. Maire, né de par ses fonctions à œuvrer L. Mangel, P. Sorriaux, Michel Bakalowicz et pour les dossiers de classement http://www.gettyimages.co.uk Font: Nicole Ravaïau (septembre 2017). UNESCO et la conservation des

Font: https://www.ladepeche.fr/ Font: Alain Mangin in the Sanctuary Of The Blind Cave SalamanderIn Moulis, grottes dont celle de la Cigalère. France, on January 16, 2001. NECROLOGY Alain Mangin, un grand scientifique Il faisait partie du Comité Fran- proche de la nature./ Photo DDM çais d’Hydrogéologie et ses diagnostics colleraient bien Bibliographie partielle A TRIBUTE TO ALAIN MANGIN aujourd’hui avec la fantômisation jouant dans la vidan- Mangin A. (1969) – Etude hydraulique du méca- ge des aquifères poreux fantômisés, selon R. Maire. Ceci Alain Mangin was a main French hydrogeolo- D’abord Sous-Directeur puis Directeur jusqu’en nisme d’intermittence de Fontestorbes (Ariège), Anna- dit, Mangin n’adhérait pas au concept de fantômisation les de Spéléologie, 24(2), pages 255-298. gist who led the underground Laboratory of Moulis 2006 du Laboratoire souterrain de Moulis après le départ de C. Juberthie, A. Mangin était entré au CNRS selon Michel Bakalowicz. Mangin A. (1975) – Contribution à l’étude hydro- (Ariège, Pyrénées) between 1995 and 2006. en 1968 sous la Direction de Bernard Gèze. Il a fait sa Grand amoureux de ses montagnes pyrénéennes, dynamique des aquifères karstiques, Thèse d’Etat, 124 After his thesis in 1975, he took part in many carrière à Moulis (Ariège) où se trouve aujourd’hui une A. Mangin souhaitait les faire découvrir encore récem- pages. Publiée dans les Annales de Spéléologie, 29 et 30. surveys to define the features of the circulations station d’écologie expérimentale mixte depuis 1998, ment à des personnes à mobilité réduite par un han- Mangin A., Stanford J., Gibert J., Danielopol D. in karstic aquifers (epikarst concept). In 1969 he tout en donnant des cours à l’Université d’Orsay pour dicap. Nous avons donc perdu avec sa disparition, un (1994) – Karst hydrogeology, in Groundwater ecology, edit. Academic press.; pages 43-67. proposed an explanation for the intermittent spring former des hydrogéologues. Il a défendu la collabora- spéléologue, un karstologue, un scientifique de renom Mangin A. (2008) – Caractérisation des proprié- of Fontestorbes (Ariège) which was an enigm since tion entre sciences de la Terre et biologie. Il a contri- dont les travaux ont renouvelé nos conceptions à partir tés des systèmes karstiques d’après l’étude des écou- bué au calcul des réserves hydrodynamiques du karst, a several centuries. He studied the groundwater basin des années 1970, mais aussi un homme de cœur, droit, lements; Actes du colloque Hydrogéologie et karst au of the Baget river (142 km²) to the spring of Las mené l’étude du Bassin-versant du Baget (142 km²) et de discret, chaleureux. Nous adressons toutes nos condo- travers des travaux de Michel Lepiller, 17 mai 2008. CFH- Hountas. He permitted to evaluate the volume of sa résurgence à las Hountas (Ariège). léances à sa famille et à ses proches. -AIH, 2008. the groundwater storages. He worked in China too En 1969, il a cerné le fonctionnement si particu- lier de la Source de Fontestorbes (Ariège), permettant (Guizou). sa modélisation, intriguant les chercheurs depuis des A reminder of an old friend - (1942-2017) Alain Mangin began as speleologist in his siècles. A. Mangin a eu du mal à caler ses vues sur celles Pyrenean region. He coached and welcame many de P. Renault, dont il finit par admettre l’apport sur les By Arrigo Cigna (Italy) - Past President of the UIS cavers and students. Since his retirement, he was remplissages sédimentaires. [email protected] involved in humanitarian projects and in the Il a collaboré avec les karstologues chinois pour la On August 15th we lost another good friend the cave along a narrow mountain road, Alain war- management of the Regional Natural Park of the connaissance de la région de Guizou. and a distinguished scientist. I met him so many ye- ned us about a “modern art object” in the cave. Pyrénées in Ariège. His sudden death makes us very Il participa à certains congrès internationaux dès ars ago that I do not remember the date. It was sure- We thought it could be a sculpture or something sad and we are thinking of his family. le 4ème qui vit la création de l’UIS à Postojna. ly during a speleological meeting somewhere in the like. But at the arrival to the cave a giant iron struc- Il oeuvra pour la tentative de création d’une Ré- world. We became good friend also because we could ture many tens of meters long, with large concrete serve Naturelle Souterraine dans l’Ariège, aux côtés de Hommage à Alain Mangin share French as a common language in a community platforms in the prehistoric soil of the huge entrance la FFS, ce qui ne fut pas toujours simple. Ce projet des where English dominate. hall appeared to us! Alain Mangin nous a quittés prématurément à la années 1980-90 est toujours en attente. Il présidait le His competence in karst phenomena was outs- The author of such an awful object is M. Fuk- suite d’un avc. Ce chercheur est bien connu dans les Conseil Scientifique du Parc Naturel Régional des Pyré- tanding and his contribution to the advancement of sas, an architect not new to criticized results of his milieux de la karstologie française et internationale nées ariégeoises et était membre de celui de la Revue knowledge in this field was really great. But together activity. Obviously the municipality of Tarragona is pour avoir vraiment rénové les conceptions du fonctio- Karstologia dès ses débuts. Si Alain Mangin n’était plus with such a quality he displayed an excellent nature. the first responsible of the incredible affront to an nnement des circulations souterraines dans le karst. Sa investi ni membre de la FFS depuis 1993, on doit rappe- The last time we met was in 2008 at an ISCA important prehistoric site. thèse d’Etat, soutenue à Dijon remonte à 1975 et porte ler, si besoin était, sa qualité de spéléologue : moni- (International Show Cave Association) meeting in But I will never forget the very calm informa- sur l’hydrogéologie (Mangin, 1975). On lui doit la défini- teur en 1968, instructeur en 1970 après l’encadrement France. During an excursion to the Cave of Niaux he tion delivered by Alain about what we found in the tion de l’épikarst dans l’étude hydrodynamique du karst d’un stage initiateur en 1969, un stage scientifique en was our guide providing much information on the cave: it was much more impressive than a vigorous pour laquelle il dut confronter ses idées systémiques à 1970 puis finalement un stage Découverte en 1983-84. environment and the cave itself. Just approaching statement. Just in his personal style. celles de C. Drogue qui faisait autorité à Montpellier. Florence Guillot rappelle l’accueil d’au moins 6 de ses

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IN MEMORIAM extraordinary overlapping of geological formations. In Pala- The 3rd International Symposium of Speleology orga- wan (Philippines) Giovanni was a key leader for several ex- nised in Varenna (Italy) at the end of April 2017 represents plorations and climate study of the Puerto Princesa Subter- last scientific meeting Giovanni attended. He presented two GIOVANNI BADINO ranean River, an extraordinary and unique karst ecosystem projects and up to few days before his death, Giovanni ac- and habitat for biodiversity conservation. Giovanni studies tively contributed to the final editing of his papers. In the Italy, 1953-2017 of this UNESCO World Heritage site has strongly contribu- last part of his life, Giovanni devoted himself to a fast-paced by Daniela Pani & Arrigo A. Cigna (Italy) ted to the selection of the Puerto Princesa Underground Ri- work to the final drafting of a quite big amount of papers, [email protected] ver as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. articles and books encompassing his vast and precious [email protected] Caves may behave as Helmholtz resonators and Gio- scientific production. vanni studied many of them. By transforming the infrasound Giovanni Badino had a unique personality; the two The effort to write some words to remember our be- into an audible sound he identified the “music” or breath of of us writing had the priceless opportunity to work with him loved friend Giovanni Badino is tough. Giovanni, professor caves, a specific timber for each cave system, which is sup- and share many moments of our lives. What we learned from of Physics at the University of Turin, after a long illness bre- posed to supply information on the physical and morpholo- him is immeasurable. Friends, colleagues and cavers will ne- athed his last time the 8th of August 2017, in his mountain

Font: http://www.fsrfvg.it/?p=6370 Font: gical characteristics for the system itself. ver forget Giovanni: might you rest in peace. chalet in Monmartino, near his hometown Savona (Italy). He started his caving activity when he was still a young carrying on with working on his computer not to waste pre- student; while in college, he began exploring the Antro del cious time for his scientific production. Computer time-sha- Corchia cave (Tuscany) and Marguareis karst systems (Pie- ring was indeed Giovanni life style, however, he was a very dmont), ever since developing a great interest for “unusual social hilarious and enjoyable guy, a wine and tea devotee! cave environments”. It was around 1972: the very beginning He brought cave Physics as well as Thermodynamics of an entire life devoted to studying all aspects of the Phy- knowledge to a very high level. In particular, teaching an sics of caves. apparently “old fashioned” topic as Thermodynamics not Giovanni became a high level scientist of cave Phy- only represented his bargain to gain more free time for sics as well as a very strong and talented caver. He explored his speleological explorations, but also became the excel- the most important karst areas all over the world, and caves lent opportunity for Giovanni to achieve high expertises on often occurring in remote regions of the planet. One among this discipline and develop complex modelling procedures many, the Krubera cave (Abkhazia, Georgia) which later be- in the domain of cave Physics. When he joined the ENEA came the deepest cave known in the world. Antarctica project, during a routinely recognition from the An extraordinary bright brain and a strong working helicopter, he noticed some holes on the glacier ice rock: - http://new.up-climbing.com/it/ghiaccio Font: -misto/news/addio-speleologo-giovanni-badino attitude naturally coupled in Giovanni. He could jump from this “simple” observation was the beginning of another spe- relatively simple (but unclear to the most!) thermodynami- cial scientific subject Giovanni developed in the domain of G. Badino preparing to enter in the Cueva de los Cristales cal issues to Physics of high energy to the Divine Comedy, glacial speleology. Ice melting is usually reached with tem- (Naica, Mexico) and among its giants crystals, in 2007: the music of Bach and Monteverdi, or to the rime of the An- peratures above zero, whereas such observed caves were http://new.up-climbing.com/it/ghiaccio-misto/ Font: news/addio-speleologo-giovanni-badino refrigerated clothes to withstand the temperature of 50oC. cient Mariner by Coleridge. formed in a below zero temperature environment. Relying Giovanni and his laptop were a kind of symbiosis; he on his sounded physical and speleological background, Gio- could actively sit in meeting for ages, and yet interactively vanni discovered that air circulation due to extremely small difference of temperature triggers off the ice sublimation process, allowing a cave to developing a at temperatures always below the freezing point. His scientific and explorative activities have spanned many branches of Speleology. His deep knowledge of Phy- sics principles inspired Giovanni in designing several devi- ces and gears for both standard cave exploration and cave rescue, specifically for security and protection when opera- ting in hot atmosphere. In the Stufe di San Calogero caves in the Sicilian Mt. Kronio (Italy) in addition to refrigerated tents, Giovanni assembled isolated suits, which later on led to create a special caving suit (named Tolomea), which could

properly supply fresh air allowing cavers to operate - for about Labegalini José Ayrton

Paolo Petrignani Paolo one hour- in Naica cave, Mexico, at a temperature of 50oC. In Sardinia (Italy), Giovanni gave an instrumental aid UIS Bureau meeting, Dalesbridge, United Kingdon, August 19, 2016.Giovanni BADINO (the third, Badino exploring ice caves during a National Geogra- for the exploration and study of the underground climate of from left to right) in his last photo as Adjunct Secretary of the UIS, position he held from 2009 to 2017. phic expedition in the Patagonia region, Argentina. the St. Barbara Cave, and incredible mine cave hosting an

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th Calendar of Events 2018 18 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF SPELEOLOGY To Know and Share Caves and Karsts: Understanding, Conservation, and Geotourism 6-9 March 2018 (Ardèche, France) https://dhuguet.wixsite.com/cavesymposium2018 http://uis2021.speleos.fr/

15th Sinkhole Conference, joint with the 3rd Appalachian Karst Symposium 2-6 April 2018 (Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA) http://www.sinkholeconference.com/ California Cave Life Symposium 28 April 2018 (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA) http://[email protected] 3rd Malaysia Cavers Symposium 2018 1-6 May 2018 (Senyum Karst Complex, Pahang, Malaysia) F é d é r a t i o n F r a n ç a i s e http://www.awanadventure.com/caverssymposium/ d e S p é l é o l o g i e VIII International Workshop on Ice Caves (IWIC) 11th to 18th June 2018 (Picos de Europa National Park, Spain) Lyon, France, 23-29 July 2021 http://eventos.uva.es/15714/detail/international-workshop-on-ice-caves.html

KARST2018 - Colloque international de Karstologie Welcome to Lyon, city of heritage and gastronomy, 40 ans de l’Association Française de Karstologie - Hommage à Richard Maire in the heart of a famous caving area 27 juin - 1 juillet 2018 (Chambéry, France) http://edytem.univ-smb.fr/agenda/karst2018 Exceptional pictures of Lyon taken from a drone EuroKarst 2018 2-6 July 2018 (Besançon, France) https://youtu.be/53q2WOeUW9U http://www.eurokarst.org/ 18th International Vulcanospeleology Symposium Video “Welcome to Lion” 21-27 July 2018 (Lava Beds National Monument, California, USA) http://www.vulcanospeleology.org/sym18/ISV18.html https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5s5itf 2018 US National Speleological Society Convention 30 July - 3 August 2018 (Helena, Montana, USA) ACCOMODATION & CONVIVIALITY http://nss2018.caves.org/ Opening July 2020 24th International Conference on Subterranean Biology 20-24 August 2018 (University of Aveiro, Portugal) ON-SITE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION http://24icsb.web.ua.pt/ HOTEL ACCOMMODATION 500 double or single rooms available on campus HOTEL CAPACITY OF EuroSpeleo Forum 2018 GREATER LYON IN 2016 23-26 August 2018 (Ebensee, Austria) More than 18.000 rooms: http://eurospeleo.at/expo.html Hotel 5* 343 rooms Hotel 4* 4.319 rooms 24th International Cave Bear Symposium Hotel 3* 4.308 rooms Hotel 2* 3.507 rooms 27-30 September 2018 (Chepelare, Bulgaria) Hotel 1* 969 rooms circular and website to be announced soon. Hotel NC 898 rooms Apartment hotels (all categories): 16th International Symposium of Speleotherapy 3.467 apartments 24-28 October 2018 (Zlate Hory, Czech Republic) http://www.speleotherapycommission.webgarden.com/menu/news/the-xvi-th-international

UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 118/ 123 UIS BULLETIN - VOLUME 59-2 - December/2017 Page 119/ 123 BULLETIN BULLETIN Union Internationale de Spéléologie Union Internationale de Spéléologie UIS BUREAU 2017/2021 LIST OF MEMBER NATIONS President: UIS Past-Presidents George VENI (USA) Arrigo A. CIGNA (Italy) - 1973-1981 as reported by the UIS Treasurer Vice-President for Operations: Adolfo ERASO ROMERO (Spain) - 1981-1986 Efraín Mercado (Puerto Rico) 54 Member Nations in August 2017 Derek C. FORD (Canada) - 1986-1989 Vice-President for Administration: (with debts for than 2-3 years marked with * Zdeněk MOTYČKA (Czech Republic) Paolo FORTI (Italy) - 1993-1997 and for 4 years marked with **) Secretary General: Julia Mary JAMES (Australia) - 1997-2001 Fadi NADER (Lebanon) José Ayrton LABEGALINI (Brazil) - 2001-2005 Algeria ** Hungary Puerto Rico Treasurer: Andrew EAVIS (United Kingdom) - 2005-2013 Argentina Indonesia Romania Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Slovenia) Kyung Sik WOO (Republic of Korea) - 2013-2017 Australia Iran IR Russia Adjunct Secretaries: Austria Israel Serbia Nivaldo COLZATO (Brazil) Belgium Italy Slovakia Mladen GARAŠIĆ (Croatia) Bosnia & Hercegovina Japan Slovenia Bernard CHIROL (France) Brazil Kyrgyzstan South Africa Satoshi GOTO (Japan) Bulgaria Lebanon South Korea Gyula HEGEDUS (Hungary) Canada Lithuania Spain Tim MOULDS (Australia) China Luxembourg Sweden Baerbel VOGEL (Germany) Colombia * Mexico Switzerland Costa Rica * Mongolia ** The Netherlands Croatia Norway Turkey * Cuba New Zealand Ukraine Czech Republic Paraguay ** United Kingdom France Philippines USA Germany Poland Venezuela Greece Portugal Vietnam

Some countries have paid their annual fees up to 2022. Some haven’t paid for 2 years or more! Have not found your Please indicate WHO is paying for your country country in this list? - especially if there are two or more speleological asso- ciations in your country. The UIS Bureau can’t select the Ask the UIS Treasurer payer for your country and we don’t return money!!! If you have a new treasurer or responsible per- son for payments, please send the new name and e- -mail address to [email protected]. We do not know who to contact in some coun- UPDATE your status now! tries or we do not have their proper address. José Ayrton Labegalini José Ayrton

UIS BUREAU 2017/2021 in Sydney, Australia, August 2017. PAYMENT VIA UIS WEBSITE CONTACT UIS Left to right (behind): Gyula HEGEDUS (Adjunct Secretary/Hungary); Mladen GARAŠIĆ (Adjunct Secretary/Croatia); Now the payment of the annual fees can be done Zdeněk MOTYČKA (Vice-President of Administration/Czech Republic); George VENI (President/USA); Baerbel VOGEL (Ad- directly via UIS Web Page through PayPal service. UNION INTERNATIONALE DE SPÉLÉOLOGIE junct Secretary/Germany); Bernard CHIROL (Adjunct Secretary/France) and Nivaldo COLZATO (Adjunct Secretary/Brazil). http://www.uis-speleo.org/index.php?option=com_content Titov trg 2, 6230 Postona, Slovenia www.uis-speleo.org Left to right (in front): Satoshi GOTO (Adjunct Secretary/Japan); Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Treasurer/Slovenia) and Fadi NA- &view=article&id=67&Itemid=383 DER (Secretary General/Lebanon). Inset photos above, from left to right: Efrain MERCADO (Vice-President for Opera- tions/Puerto Rico)and Tim MOULDS (Adjunct Secretary/Australia).

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FINANCE ANNUAL contributionS By Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Slovenia), UIS Treasurerry - [email protected] Editor’s disclosure

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS Before submitting articles, please, refer to the The UIS General Assembly at the 17th Internatio- nal Congress of Speleology (Sydney, Australia, 2017), ap- Guide for Submitting and Publishing Articles in the UIS Bulletin proved the amended of fee categories of member coun- CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FILE tries, which will be considered according to the number of speleologists in the national organization or organi- UIS Bulletin, nor its editors are responsible for: zations that represent the country to the UIS. The new annual contributions will be as follows, • misspellings starting after the 17th ICS, Sydney, Australia:

©Nadja Zupan Hajna • wrongly written names Category A: 2,000 speleologists or more ...... 480 Euros • incorrect articles Prof. Dr. Nadja ZUPAN HAJNA (Slovenia) Category B: at least 1,000 but fewer than 2,000 ..... 360 Euros • typographical mistakes in United Arab Emirates Category C: at least 100 but fewer than 1,000 ..... 240 Euros Category D: less than 100 ...... 60 Euros Every effort possible has been made to keep all articles as close to the original version. If the fees are not paid for more than five years, In some cases, the editors review the structure in order to present the article in a the Member Country will lose its membership in the UIS. clear and consistent manner and obvious errors are corrected if found. The UIS Bureau may reduce or waive the fee of We appreciate your understanding. a Mem- ber Country if the Member Country makes a written request describing the reasons why it is ha- Should you have any question or comments, please send them to: ving difficulties making its payments and how long those difficulties are expected to continue. All fee Efraín MERCADO payments and related communications are conduc- (Puerto Rico) ted between the UIS Treasurer and the Member Editor in Chief Countries. [email protected] © Karst Research Institute - ZRC-SAZU Institute Research © Karst

UIS BANK ACCOUNT Nivaldo COLZATO Account name Account No. (Brazil) Mednarodna speleološka zveza-UIS IBAN SI56 1010 0003 7861 520 Graphic Editor Titov trg 2 [email protected] 6230 Postojna - Slovenia SWIFT Code: BAKOSI2X Bank (name and address) Accepted Currencies: Intesa Sanpaolo Bank d.d. EUR (Euros) Traška 2 6230 Postojna - Slovenia BULLETIN

State oF UIS bank account on JULY 31, 2017 Headquarters of the Karst Research Institute in Pos- 30.748,75 EUR Union Internationale tojna, Slovenia, where the offices of the UIS are loca- de Spéléologie ted. In the detail, the bronze plaque with the emblem 50.131,26 USD of the UIS affixed below the name of the institute.

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