KEYNOTE ADDRESS: CAVES AND PEOPLE-PRESSURE
Of the many problems facing us in management of cave areas, the central one is clearly to do with the growing demand for access to our limited cave resources. The simple basic fact is that Australia is, by comparison with other equivalent continents, extremely short of caves. In addition, we all know that caves are non-renewable resources, often of considerable vulnerability. It is urgent that we do therefore tackle the problem as soon as possible and in the most effective way.
I believe that a real barrier to getting to grips with the problem is that we so often ask the wrong questions. When we do that, it doesn't really matter how good our answers are!
Thus, we ask, "how can we fit in more people?" or, in more sophisticated terms, "How can we increase the carrying capacity of our caves?" This generally leads to such answers as: increasing the visitor-guide ratio, using the endless line of visitors method with static guides, opening new show caves.
Sometimes we go one step further, and try to look at the total stock of caves In an area, zoning these for various kinds and densities of use, and this is certainly starting to respond to a new set of questions. However, it still tends to be caught up with carrying capacity type questions.
Aley has recently questioned the application of carrying capacity concepts to caves. He points out that the term and concept are both based upon notions about cows per pasture acre (or in some areas, acres per cow). Thus, carrying capacity is about the utilisation of renewable resources without damage to non-renewable resources, or, ensuring that 'the cows eat all the grass possible without damaging the soil'. However, in caves, there are very few renewable resources (air, water) but a number of non-renewable ones, most of which are the first things to suffer damage during utilisation.
However, there is a further problem with the carrying capacity kind of question. It seems to be based upon the assumption that if we keep on answering it by providing more caves and more facilities, then we will solve the problem. A moment's thought will show the fallacy of this: people-pressure is all too likely to be infinitely capable of increase, but cave resources are limited to what we have now even if we don't know all of them yet. So, sooner or later, we will come to the crunch - there will just not be enough to go around.
One apparent solution to this dilemma is the old adage about not crossing bridges until we come to them. Unfortunately, we are already tramping all over this particular bridge - we should stop pretending that we are on solid ground and that the bridge is over the horizon. In other words, if we are to start solving the problem, we need to start now. Let me make some suggestions:
- The first key step is to recognise and fully accept that caves are scarce resources in Australia (even in Tasmania). We must do all we can to retain all we have. This means cave protection legislation, with adequate enforcement; it means deliberative management of caves, even in remote areas such as Precipitous Bluff, the Gordon-Franklin Rivers and many other parts of Australia. It is considerably to the credit of the present Tasmanian Minister for National Parks that he ensured the inclusion of Precipitous Bluff (which of course has great value irrespective of its caves) in the Southwest National Park. Protecting our caves also means that cave protection should not merely be confined to caves occurring in national parks or similar reservations, cave protection must be comprehensive.
- The next step is to start asking "why utilisation"? Our present answers are in terms of tourism (and hence dollars) recreation, exploration and research. All are, within our present value system, perfectly legitimate objectives. However, they are imperfectly defined objectives. Is tourism simply to make money or is it to widen human experience? If it is the former, why use caves? If it is the latter, are we doing it through our present practices? If both, are we going to eventually degrade the resource for the sake of dollars without really doing what we should to help people genuinely widen their experience? One could go on for some time with examples of ways in which we need to clarify objectives and determine our justifications. Let me just give one more example — research. We make the assumption today that research is vital and that it provides the basis for all sorts of other activities, like planning. We all too rarely ask whether a specific bit of research is genuinely useful or whether it is merely supporting the research industry. We all too rarely look at the real costs and benefits of research, and ask whether the benefit in terms of human wisdom is enough to justify the costs in whittling away a scarce resource.
- Once we are making progress in understanding the reasons for utilisation, then perhaps we can start to develop a sane approach to determining the methods of utilisation — or non-utilisation. We may conclude, as Yugoslavia has done, by determining that not only shall the use of known caves be controlled, but that no new caves shall be entered. They argue, as I believe we could in most parts of Australia, that the present stock of known caves provides ample opportunity for tourism, recreation, exploration and research — the balance can therefore be reserved untouched for future generations.
- Finally, I would hope that whatever directions we determine will be pursued with adequate wisdom and competence. Certainly, we do need more research in many areas — but if we simply applied our existing knowledge, we would be immeasurably better off. Our major problem in planning and management is all too often our insistence upon re-inventing the wheel — and, naturally enough, some of our wheels come out square! Speleological science has a great deal to contribute now to cave management, and it would be stupid not to use it.
REFERENCES:
- JENNINGS, J.N., 1975 How well off is Australia for Caves and Karst? A Brief Geomorphic Estimate. Proc. 10th Conf. Aust. Speleol. Fed., pp. 82-90
- ALEY, Tom, 1975 Caves, Cows and Carrying Capacity. National Cave Management Symposium Proceedings, Albuquerque, N.M. Speleobooks, pp. 70-71 (Reprinted in N.S.S. News, 34(7) 133-134, 1976)
- A recent example of this problem (many others could be cited) is described by Williams, Alex K., The Environmental Impact of Environmental Impact Studies, Search 8(4) 104