Necessary Measures
A look into the federal laws for environmental protection or those of the different counties will produce little on the protection of the subterranean ecosystems. Only in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, caves are included in the list of biotopes which are especially protected. In practice, concrete measurements have only been taken if bats are concerned, which command good attention by the public and the media. Only in fall 2017 caves and near-natural tunnels were included in the Federal Law for Environmental Protection as biotopes which require protection. These amendments of the law were published in the Bundesgesetzblatt (BGBl. I S. 3434) and became effective on April 1st 2018. This was a great success for the organised cave research, especially since the Verband der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. (German Speleological Society) demanded these changes since years.
The Verband der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. (German Speleological Society) with its 7 county federations and 88 clubs, about 500 individual members and 33 associated show caves and institutions, still stresses the urgent need of suitable measurements for the protection of biodiversity in subterranean ecosystems. Even the thoughtless entering of a cave may alter the microbiological situation of a cave. It is indispensable, that all known and newly discovered cave systems are examined by speleologists for their biodiversity, among others. This is the only way to develop site-specific strategies for the conservation of endemic and severely threatened species.
In addition, it is essential that subterranean habitats are included in the environmental conservation laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and of its counties. To rest the protection of those biotopes solely on the occurrence of bats, because these are using caves for hibernation, and are protected according to the Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive), contradicts the goals of the Biodiversity Convention.