In the International Year of Caves and Karst, Brazilian caves are at high risk (Commentary)

[UngulateNerd92]

• 2021 has been designated the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK), aimed to celebrate and draw attention to spectacular habitats that would go unnoticed by most of the population.
• In the case of Brazil, the IYCK is also an opportunity to alert society to the increasing risks experienced by Brazilian caves.
• This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Brazil is internationally known for its astonishing biodiversity. Nevertheless, there is another natural heritage for which Brazil should also be recognized: its caves. As a continental-sized country, with a rich geological history, Brazil harbors an estimated 310,000 caves – some of them among the most spectacular in the world. Like for biodiversity, cave protection in Brazil was always challenging, considering most of the country’s economy depend on sectors with known and persistent environmental conflicts, like agribusiness and mining. Presidential Decree 99556 of 1990 stated that all natural caves in Brazil should be treated as a national cultural heritage, and, as such, should be preserved and conserved. But in 2008, after pressures from the Brazilian mining sector, the new Decree 6640 was published stating caves should be then classified as having maximum, high, medium or low relevance, but only those classified as having maximum relevance would be fully protected from the very beginning.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...zilian-caves-are-at-high-risk-commentary/amp/

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

• 2021 has been designated the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK), aimed to celebrate and draw attention to spectacular habitats that would go unnoticed by most of the population.
• In the case of Brazil, the IYCK is also an opportunity to alert society to the increasing risks experienced by Brazilian caves.
• This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Brazil is internationally known for its astonishing biodiversity. Nevertheless, there is another natural heritage for which Brazil should also be recognized: its caves. As a continental-sized country, with a rich geological history, Brazil harbors an estimated 310,000 caves – some of them among the most spectacular in the world. Like for biodiversity, cave protection in Brazil was always challenging, considering most of the country’s economy depend on sectors with known and persistent environmental conflicts, like agribusiness and mining. Presidential Decree 99556 of 1990 stated that all natural caves in Brazil should be treated as a national cultural heritage, and, as such, should be preserved and conserved. But in 2008, after pressures from the Brazilian mining sector, the new Decree 6640 was published stating caves should be then classified as having maximum, high, medium or low relevance, but only those classified as having maximum relevance would be fully protected from the very beginning.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...zilian-caves-are-at-high-risk-commentary/amp/

Very interesting, thanks for sharing !

 

[UngulateNerd92]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing !

You are welcome. I knew you'd be interested in this article. I thought about you when I found it.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

You are welcome. I knew you'd be interested in this article. I thought about you when I found it.

Yes, definitely appreciate you posting this.

There are some spectacular caves across this country and I would like to explore them in the future.

The sad reality is that so many archeological / heritage sites are also under huge threats due to the current (and past) administrations.

For example, the Serra da Capivara archeological site in the North-East (which is not strictly speaking caves but rather canyons) which contains the oldest rock art paintings in the Americas.

At Serra da Capivara the attempts to conserve the paintings for future generations have repeatedly had their funding slashed to zero and many of their staff fired for speaking out.