IUCN

The paper published here was produced for discussion during the first World Conservation Congress in Montreal, Canada in October 1996. Drawing on the scientific and technical expertise of his colleagues as well as on past experience, the author sets out to draw a picture of what our environmental world will look like in the year 2025.

Cave and karst landforms are distributed widely around the world. They have many values and are an integral component of the world's biodiversity. Some are habitats for a wide range of endemic species of flora and fauna, while others house rare and endangered species. Still others are the sources of rare minerals and some are important for resources such as groundwater, while some are venerated as sites of religious, spiritual and cultural importance.