Editing Caving (section)

==Cave conservation==
Many cave environments are very fragile.  Many [[speleothem]]s can be damaged by even the slightest touch and some by impacts as slight as a breath. Research suggests that increased carbon dioxide levels can lead to "a higher equilibrium concentration of calcium within the drip waters feeding the speleothems, and hence causes dissolution of existing features."<ref name="Baker 1998 165–175">{{cite journal|last1=Baker|first1=A.|last2=Genty|first2=D.|title=Environmental pressures on conserving cave speleothems: effects of changing surface land use and increased cave tourism.|journal=Journal of Environmental Management|date=June 1998|volume=53|issue=2|pages=165–175|doi=10.1006/jema.1998.0208}}</ref>  In 2008, researchers found evidence that respiration from cave visitors may generate elevated carbon dioxide concentrations in caves, leading to increased temperatures of up to 3&nbsp;°C and a dissolution of existing features.<ref name="Baker 1998 165–175"/>

Pollution is also of concern.  Since water that flows through a cave eventually comes out in streams and rivers, any pollution may ultimately end up in someone's drinking water, and can even seriously affect the surface environment, as well.  Even minor pollution such as dropping [[organic material]] can have a dramatic effect on the cave biota.

Cave-dwelling species are also very fragile. Often, a particular species found in a cave may live within that cave alone, and be found nowhere else in the world; an example is the [[Alabama cave shrimp]].  Cave-dwelling species are accustomed to a near-constant climate of temperature and humidity, and any disturbance can be disruptive to the species' life cycles. Though cave wildlife may not always be immediately visible, it is typically nonetheless present in most caves.

[[Bat]]s are one such fragile species of cave-dwelling animal. Bats which [[hibernation|hibernate]] are most vulnerable during the winter season, when no food supply exists on the surface to replenish the bat's store of energy should it be awakened from hibernation. Bats which [[Bird migration|migrate]] are most sensitive during the summer months when they are raising their young.  For these reasons, visiting caves inhabited by hibernating bats is discouraged during cold months; and visiting caves inhabited by migratory bats is discouraged during the warmer months when they are most sensitive and vulnerable.  Due to an affliction affecting bats in the northeastern US known as [[white nose syndrome]] (WNS),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html|title=Page Redirect|author=Northeast Region Web Development Group|work=fws.gov|access-date=2009-04-09|archive-date=2008-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209135731/http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html}}</ref> the US Fish & Wildlife Service has called for a moratorium effective March 26, 2009, on caving activity in states known to have hibernacula (MD, NY, VT, NH, MA, CT, NJ, PA, VA, and WV) affected by WNS, as well as adjoining states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caves.org/WNS/USFWS-WNS_cave_advisory_news_rls_2009-03-26_final-1.pdf|title=U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Advisory|date=2009-03-26|accessdate=2022-10-10|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829110619/http://www.caves.org/WNS/USFWS-WNS_cave_advisory_news_rls_2009-03-26_final-1.pdf|archivedate=2022-08-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some cave passages may be marked with flagging tape or other indicators to show biologically, aesthetically, or archaeologically sensitive areas. Marked paths may show ways around notably fragile areas such as a pristine floor of [[sand]] or [[silt]] which may be thousands of years old, dating from the last time water flowed through the cave. Such deposits may easily be spoiled forever by a single misplaced step. Active formations such as [[flowstone]] can be similarly marred with a muddy footprint or handprint, and ancient human artifacts, such as fiber products, may even crumble to dust under all but the most gentle touch.

In 1988, concerned that cave resources were becoming increasingly damaged through unregulated use, Congress enacted the [[Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988|Federal Cave Resources Protection Act]], giving land management agencies in the United States expanded authority to manage cave conservation on public land.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Iraola|first=Roberto|title=Statutory overview: The Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988|journal=Fordham Environmental Law Review|date=October 2005|volume=17|pages=89–271}}</ref>