Ethical Access to Karst Systems: Principles, Rationale and Practice – An Educational Publication. Mike Buchanan (2026) Opening Statement This paper advances a clear educational and moral proposition: karst systems are complex, porous matrices that integrate water, life, memory and culture. Which require an explicit ethic of access, grounded in responsibility rather than entitlement. Far from being inert resources to be measured, entered, or exploited at will, karst landscapes function as life‑support systems and living archives. Their hidden conduits link human communities, ecosystems and deep geological time. Because of this relational vulnerability, access to karst must be governed by principles of precaution, justice, reciprocity and stewardship across generations and political boundaries. By translating these principles into practical guidance, this paper reframes access not as a technical or recreational privilege, but as a shared ethical responsibility. Ethical acce...