Cave and Karst

  A Geoethical Manifesto: Earth as Judge — A Reckoning with a Laugh We built empires on the dream of endless more. We worshipped speed and scale, crowned growth as virtue, and treated the planet as an infinite ledger to be debited. We fashioned gods of invention and profit, celebrities of extraction and spectacle, who promised salvation in quarterly returns and flagship rockets. We cheered them on, made them our altars and taught our children to measure worth by wealth and mobile viral fame. Now the tenant speaks. The planet does not sermonise. It replies, with heat, flood, wildfire, collapse and silence where song once was. Its verdict is not moral but mathematical: limits exist. Systems that ignore limits do not reform; they fail. And that failure will not be fair. It will be indifferent, ruin distributed without ceremony, falling hardest on those least responsible and least able to escape. Let us admit two truths plainly. First: our economic religion, endless ex...

  The Geoethical Case Against Reservoirs in Karstified Carbonate Terrains: Interdisciplinary Evidence and Policy Guidance – Mike Buchanan 2025 Abstract  Karstified carbonate terrains present unique hydrogeological, geomechanical, geochemical, and ecological vulnerabilities that render surface and subsurface reservoirs high-risk infrastructure. This paper synthesises multidisciplinary evidence demonstrating why avoidance should be the default policy, clarifies circumstances where rigorous, exceptional mitigation might be considered and proposes operational, monitoring, legal frameworks to protect subterranean ecosystems and downstream stakeholders. Introduction Karst systems Characterised by dissolution conduits, caves, sinkholes, and heterogeneous porosity - exhibit rapid, anisotropic flow and high uncertainty in subsurface geometry (Ford & Williams, 2007). Traditional engineering approaches that assume continuous confining layers or predictable transmissivity are il...

  A Scientific Position Paper Opposing Further Archaeological Excavation at Gcwihaba Cave, Botswana Mike Buchanan, Karstologist -2025 Abstract This paper presents a formal objection to ongoing and proposed archaeological excavations within the Gcwihaba–Koanaka cave complex, Ngamiland, north-western Botswana. The site represents one of Southern Africa’s oldest, most intact karst ecosystems and functions as a critical bat hibernaculum and paleoenvironmental archive. Recent reports by Laurent Bruxelles, Director of the International Research Center SHARE (CNRS/University of the Witwatersrand), confirming the extraction of more than four tons of fossiliferous sediment from the Koanaka Hills after only one week of excavation (Bruxelles, 2025), reveal an alarming disregard for internationally accepted conservation standards. Such activities threaten irreversible ecological, geological and heritage damage and contravene Botswana’s Monuments and Relics Act (2001) as well as the prin...

  Geological Relationships Among the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Black Reef Quartzites, Limpopo Banded Iron Formation, and Malmani Subgroup Buchanan 2024 Abstract This paper explores the geological relationships among the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Black Reef Quartzites, Limpopo Banded Iron Formation (BIF), and Malmani Subgroup in South Africa. It provides a timeline of their formation, highlighting the transitions in depositional environments and the significance of these formations in understanding early Earth processes. 1. Introduction The geological history of South Africa is marked by significant formations that provide insights into the early Earth. This paper examines the relationships among the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Black Reef Quartzites, Limpopo BIF, and Malmani Subgroup, focusing on their ages and depositional contexts. 2. Geological Context and Timeline 2.1 Barberton Greenstone Belt The Barberton Greenstone Belt is one of the oldest geological formati...

  Environmental DNA as a Hydrological Tracer: Expanding the Frontiers of Subterranean Ecology and Hydrogeology  Mike Buchanan - 2025 - 3 of 3 🧬 Abstract Environmental DNA (eDNA) has revolutionised biodiversity monitoring by enabling the detection of species from trace genetic material in environmental samples. More recently, eDNA has been proposed as a novel bio-hydrological tracer, providing opportunities to investigate groundwater connectivity, flow dynamics, and subterranean ecology. This paper critically examines the potential of eDNA in hydrological tracing, situating it alongside classical tracers such as dyes, isotopes, bacterium and salts. Through synthesis of emerging literature, methodological proposals and case examples, I highlight both the promise and challenges of integrating eDNA into hydrogeological research. I argue that eDNA’s dual ecological and hydrological dimensions could transform our understanding of subterranean connectivity, while acknowledging limit...

  🌍 Protecting Karst: Earth’s Hidden Lifelines Why Karst Systems Matter Water Security 💧 : Supplies 25% of global drinking water (UNESCO, 2015). Biodiversity 🦇 : Unique subterranean species; one cave lost can mean global extinction (Culver & Pipan, 2019). Climate Regulation 🌱 : Acts as long-term carbon sink, buffers floods and droughts (Boell, 2021). Cultural Heritage 🏞️ : Humanity’s oldest sanctuaries, sacred landscapes, and climate archives. Risks of Urban Development ⚠️ Hydrological Collapse : Impervious surfaces reduce recharge, increase flooding. ⚠️ Ecological Fragility : Cave systems collapse under surface disturbance. ⚠️ Geohazards : Sinkholes and subsidence threaten communities. ⚠️ Pollution Pathways : Contaminants bypass natural filtration. ⚠️ Toxic Legacy : Quarrying releases carcinogenic radionuclides. ⚠️ Desertification : Loss of karst accelerates soil infertility and ecological decline. ...

  Environmental DNA (eDNA) for Biodiversity Monitoring in Cave Ecosystems Mike Buchanan - 2025 - 2 of 3 Abstract Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an increasingly applied molecular tool that enables detection of organisms through traces of genetic material shed into the environment. Subterranean ecosystems such as caves present unique opportunities and challenges for eDNA monitoring due to their stable microclimates, complex hydrology and presence of cryptic species. This paper reviews the accuracy and effectiveness of eDNA in caves, explores optimal sampling designs, highlights environmental factors affecting detection and discusses integration with traditional ecological methods. Recommendations for best practice are provided, positioning eDNA as a complementary approach to conventional cave biodiversity surveys. Keywords: environmental DNA, caves, biodiversity monitoring, groundwater, metabarcoding, conservation 1. Introduction Cave ecosystems host specialised fauna, incl...

  White Paper on Responsible Speleology ​ ​ The White Paper on Responsible Speleology has been drafted by the IAPG - Task Group on Responsible Speleology.   Drafting Committee: Mike Buchanan, Oana Teodora Moldovan, Aleksandar Antić  Follow this link -  https://www.geoethics.org/wp-responsible-speleology

  Against the Sacrifice of Stone: Why the World Must Halt Urban Development of Karst Systems – Mike Buchanan 2025 Humanity has always lived in dialogue with stone. From the cave shelters of our earliest ancestors to the water-bearing aquifers that nourish our cities, carbonate landscapes, karst systems, have provided sanctuary, sustenance and spiritual depth. To destroy them in the name of short-term “development” is not only an ecological tragedy, but also an act of profound cultural amnesia and spiritual blindness. The Ancient Covenant: Karst as Home of Ancestors and Myth Caves have been the womb of our species’ imagination. They sheltered the first fires, held the paintings of Chauvet and Lascaux and gave rise to myths of the underworld, Eden and other paradises lost. To step into a cave or its host karst system is to step back into the memory of Earth itself. Karst landscapes are not merely stone; they are the living archive of all who have come before us. In the mythical...