IUCN (SA) KARST WORKING GROUP: A REVISIT TWENTY YEARS ON (2006–2026) PREFACE This paper revisits the origins, objectives and achievements of the IUCN South Africa Karst Working Group (KWG), established during 2003–2004 in response to growing concerns regarding the degradation of South Africa's karst landscapes and groundwater systems. Twenty years later, many of the concerns that prompted the establishment of the Working Group remain unresolved. Indeed, in several respects, the pressures on South Africa's karst aquifers have intensified as a consequence of acid mine drainage (AMD), deteriorating wastewater infrastructure, rapid urbanisation, industrial expansion and inappropriate land-use practices. This revisited account reflects on the history of the Working Group, reviews developments since 2006 and considers future directions for the conservation and management of South Africa's irreplaceable karst heritage. There is an undeniable sense of frustration in looking back ...