Tourism and show caves

Cigna, Arrigo A.

doi:10.1127/zfg_suppl/2016/00305

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…The cave was visited by 5,228 more tourists compared to the previous year, but given the level of attractiveness, especially speleo-archaeological complementarities of the geosite, the number of visits should exceed 50,000 visits in order for the work of management and organizational structures of Magura Cave to be considered a significant success. All significant european show caves include more then 50,000 visits per year and the Magure cave should be included in that group (Cigna and Burri, 2000;Cigna, 2016;Cigna, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Magura cave in north-western Bulgaria: Exploring visitation and speleotourism potential

Antić¹

2020

Zb Depart geogr, turizam i hotel

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Speleotourism implies visiting caves and respecting geomorphological values. A visit to the caves must include certain rules of conduct and implementation of geoethical values to achieve sustainable speleotourism development. This paper investigates the tourist traffic of an authentic cave in northwestern Bulgaria, the Magura Cave, which is a speleological object with exceptional potential for the development of speleotourism. The explored cave includes unique examples of cave paintings and imposing historical values. The research methodology mainly included descriptive analysis of data obtained by the administrative staff of the Municipality of Belogradchik. The data of tourist visits are presented in tables and graphs. The research results indicate the current state and potential prospects for the development of speleotourism in the Magura Cave. Moreover, the paper presents measures for more effective development of speleotourism, which are of special importance for organizational and cave management structures.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Magura cave in north-western Bulgaria: Exploring visitation and speleotourism potential

Antić¹

2020

Zb Depart geogr, turizam i hotel

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“…Caves can be classified into three energetic categories [10]: high-energy caves in which the natural energy flux of the caves outweighs the energy introduced, resulting in no change to the cave environment; moderate-energy caves in which the introduced energy is similar to the natural energy flux of the caves and can influence the cave environment, quickly returning to equilibrium when the outside influence is withdrawn; low-energy caves in which the introduced energy exceeds the natural energy flux of the cave, significantly altering the environment inside the cave. For example, a person with an average temperature of 37°C who walks through a cave emits as much energy as a 200 W light bulb [6]; therefore, a group of 50 to 60 people walking through a cave can raise the ambient temperature by 1 to 2°C [11]. Such an influence of tourists has been observed in the Altamira Cave in Spain where the estimated effects of tourism on temperature, CO2 concentration and relative humidity were measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The deep cave environment is primarily characterized as an oligotrophic habitat, featuring stable temperatures and relative humidity and limited contact with the exterior environment throughout the year [4][5][6][7][8][9]. This equilibrium can be disrupted and changed when additional energy is introduced to the cave from the outside environment [6]. Caves can be classified into three energetic categories [10]: high-energy caves in which the natural energy flux of the caves outweighs the energy introduced, resulting in no change to the cave environment; moderate-energy caves in which the introduced energy is similar to the natural energy flux of the caves and can influence the cave environment, quickly returning to equilibrium when the outside influence is withdrawn; low-energy caves in which the introduced energy exceeds the natural energy flux of the cave, significantly altering the environment inside the cave.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of biocides on the growth of aerophytic green algae (Chlorella sp.) isolated from a cave environment

Nikolić

Simić

Golić

et al. 2021

ARCH BIOL SCI BELGRA

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Lampenflora communities of bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, mosses and lichens colonize illuminated show-caves as a consequence of disturbances to the caves? ecological equilibrium. These communities have unesthetic impacts and can cause the biodeterioration of limestone. A 15% hydrogen peroxide solution was proposed for use as an ecological agent for the safe removal of these microorganisms. This study tested the effects of three different biocides (hydrogen peroxide, a commercial solution containing salicylic acid and a product containing chlorine dioxide as the active component), on the growth of green algae (Chlorella sp.), which are frequently encountered in lampenflora communities. Chlorella sp. was treated with the biocides under laboratory condition, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations were measured 1 h, 3 days, 7 days and 10 days after treatment. The change in Chl a concentration was compared to the untreated control group at each time point. All three biocides prevented the growth of green algae and the product containing chlorine dioxide appeared to be the most effective growth inhibitor. Hydrogen peroxide is known to suppress lampenflora growth in caves, and further studies on other biocides remain necessary to identify a solution that is both ecologically safe and economically feasible.

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“…The most conspicuous evidence about human-induced impacts in subterranean habitats possibly derives from the study of caves exploited for touristic purposes (show caves; Cigna 2016). It is well-documented that the impressive tourist flow and the associated environmental transformations (pathways, stairs, artificial lights) contribute to alter the cave equilibrium.…”

Section: Human-induced Ecological Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding answers in the dark: caves as models in ecology fifty years after Poulson and White

2018

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The use of semi-isolated habitats such as oceanic islands, lakes and mountain summits as model systems has played a crucial role in the development of evolutionary and ecological theory. Soon after the discovery of life in caves, different pioneering authors similarly recognized the great potential of these peculiar habitats as biological model systems. In their 1969 paper in Science, 'The cave environment', Poulson and White discussed how caves can be used as natural laboratories in which to study the underlying principles governing the dynamics of more complex environments. Together with other seminal syntheses published at the time, this work contributed to establishing the conceptual foundation for expanding the scope and relevance of cave-based studies. Fifty years after, the aim of this review is to show why and how caves and other subterranean habitats can be used as eco-evolutionary laboratories. Recent advances and directions in different areas are provided, encompassing community ecology, trophicwebs and ecological networks, conservation biology, macroecology and climate change biology. Special emphasis is given to discuss how caves are only part of the extended network of fissures and cracks that permeate most substrates and, thus, their ecological role as habitat islands is critically discussed. Numerous studies have quantified the relative contribution of abiotic, biotic and historical factors in driving species distributions and community turnovers in space and time, from local to regional scales. Conversely, knowledge of macroecological patterns of subterranean organisms at a global scale remains largely elusive, due to major geographical and taxonomical biases. Also, knowledge regarding subterranean trophic webs and the effect of anthropogenic climate change on deep subterranean ecosystems is still limited. In these research fields, the extensive use of novel molecular and statistical tools may hold promise for quickly producing relevant information not accessible hitherto.

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Tourism and show caves

Cited by 41 publications

References 0 publications

The Magura cave in north-western Bulgaria: Exploring visitation and speleotourism potential

The Magura cave in north-western Bulgaria: Exploring visitation and speleotourism potential

The effects of biocides on the growth of aerophytic green algae (Chlorella sp.) isolated from a cave environment

Finding answers in the dark: caves as models in ecology fifty years after Poulson and White

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