Caves require greater management as important, but seldom studied, nonrenewable resources
Research & Innovation | October 11, 2023
Caves are significant nonrenewable resources that provide a variety of ecosystem services with varying sensitivities to disturbance. In the Philippines, caves are among the least studied frontiers. They are mostly hidden and contain a variety of physical and psychological obstacles, resulting in less attention to mainstream scientific inquiry. Adventurists, caving communities, and a few speleologists, anthropologists and biologists appreciate these areas and study how different creatures and human communities interact with this environment. In the last decade, however, tourism and economic opportunities have increased the exploitation of caves. With this increasing attention, it is essential that the management requirements of caves be recognized by the government and community to create, actualize, and enforce sound management policies.
The study built on the work of Harley et al. (2011) and van Beynen and Townsend (2005), applying the index by partitioning cave passages into equal intervals and measuring their sensitivity scores. This allowed for a more accurate evaluation and identification of the exact locations in the cave passage areas that need the most attention and protection. It provided a better visualization of the characteristics of the cave passage by producing a clear cave sensitivity signature created by charting the scores of each passage partition. From a cave management perspective, this study reinforces information needed in cave classification by providing descriptive and quantitative data in the documentation of cave resources that should be employed in other caves, giving detailed support to policy development, management, and protection of caves.
