Document type
Academic documents
Document subtype
Master's dissertation
Title
Identification of threats on geodiversity and biodiversity in Pena Cave, Portugal: contributions to improve cave management
Participants in the publication
Elizaveta Popova (Author)
José Brilha (Supervisor)
Ana Sofia P. S. Reboleira (Co-Supervisor)
Dep. Biologia Animal
cE3c
Summary
Karst caves have significant geodiversity and biodiversity values that lead to a basis for educational, scientific, and touristic uses. So, it became necessary to develop a management plan to preserve the intrinsic values of the cave and minimize the impact inevitably brought by humans. This work provides concepts about identifying and mitigating threats in caves applied to Pena Cave, a natural cave in Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park in central Portugal with an interpretation centre and infrastructure for public visitation. In order to achieve the goals of the dissertation, the research method followed an integrated approach: (1) literature review of the cave's geo and biodiversity and visitation patterns, (2) fieldwork, interviews with staff members, photography of Pena Cave, (3) data analysis to identify temperature and visitor relationship patterns; and (4) graphical representation of the results in the form of maps and schemes. The results show that six cave-adapted species (troglobionts) live in Pena Cave. One of them is endemic to this cave, Cylindroiulus villumi Reboleira and Enghoff 2018. The central values are landforms (speleothems) and chemical and physical processes responsible for the cave's landforms. An increase in visitors raises the temperature inside the cave; however, the main hitting trigger is artificial lighting, which may lead to a cumulative effect. Furthermore, the temperature rise affects the process responsible for the natural growth dynamics of the speleothem, and more research is needed to understand its potential impacts on biological communities. Finally, the definition of mitigation measures in the form of a list of proposals was compiled to optimize the management of Pena Cave. Overall, future efforts should be placed on monitoring temperature and CO2 simultaneously with tracking the number of visitors, replacing existing sodium lights with new generation LEDs, and monitoring cave-adapted species' population trends. Finally, the priority proposal for optimizing the management of the cave is to take an inventory of the essential elements in the Pena Cave, starting with an inventory of all potential points of interest and mapping the most critical areas for faunal communities.
Date of Publication
2022-07-18
Institution
UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO
Publication Identifiers
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