Abstract
Establishing sustainable and responsible speleotourism development is a major challenge and involves complex activities. Adequate theoretical starting point is the application of geoethical values related to the conservation and protection of the caves to be used for touristic purposes. Positive and negative cases of human behaviors towards speleological geoheritage are discussed, in order to highlight what should be done in cave management to avoid malpractices and on what elements could be founded adequate strategies aimed at promoting sustainable speleotourism. This is important to tourism management organizations involved in the promotion of caves and in creating economic opportunities for local populations, while respecting cave ecosystems. Modern cave management must be focused on the protection of the cave ecosystems, finding ways to achieve at the same time an economic development of local communities. But this approach needs the adoption of a geoethical framework of values to be shared by all stakeholders involved so that successful cooperation can be achieved despite differences in interests and expectations. The aim of this paper is to raise the awareness about the need to apply the values of geoethics to speleotourism, stimulating new fields of discussion within the scientific and technical communities involved in studies and activities related to geotourism and geoheritage. The possibilities of developing new ways to manage caves, in order to promote a sustainable socio-economic development of local communities, have to be balanced with the protection of natural environments as much as possible. The proposed theoretical frameworks have the goal to increase the discussion on the best ways of connecting speleotourism to sustainable and responsible cave management, presenting two case studies, and pointing out potential solutions.
Highlights
Sustainable forms of tourism development refer to touristic activities that minimize negative impacts on the environment, have positive repercussions on social communities, local economy (Romelić and Tomić 2002), and management of Geodiversity represents the natural range of geological, geomorphological, soil, and hydrological features (Gray et al 2013) and it is a crucial aspect of geosystem services that bring cultural, educational, and social benefits to the society (Gray 2018; Gray 2019)
The theoretical framework of speleotourism is crucial for determining the goal of speleotourism development, which is economic profit, reduction of unemployment, respect for natural environments and its dynamics, and sustainable development of the local human community
Before implementing any monitoring strategy, it is necessary to investigate the speleomorphology and cave ecosystems, to define the monitoring objectives and to cooperate with organizations that will fund the project for using the cave
Summary
Sustainable forms of tourism development refer to touristic activities that minimize negative impacts on the environment, have positive repercussions on social communities, local economy (Romelić and Tomić 2002), and management of Geodiversity represents the natural range of geological, geomorphological, soil, and hydrological features (Gray et al 2013) and it is a crucial aspect of geosystem services that bring cultural, educational, and social benefits to the society (Gray 2018; Gray 2019). Implementing carefully strategies for sustainable development are necessary to achieve a balance between tourism development and ecological protection of the cave systems (Tomić et al 2019). This should be applied to all geoheritage sites, but in the case of karst geosites, such an approach is crucial for maintaining their delicate geological features and ecosystems, due to the level of fragility existing inside caves (Lobo et al 2013)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
