Karst Lab México

Cathie Plowman, enfermera de profesión, nos demuestra que para actuar por la protección de las cuevas y el karst, solo es necesario tener PASIÓN.

⏳ The path to 2030 runs through local action.
From communities to cities, from individuals to institutions, every effort counts.

This , meet Cathie Plowman – a woman who turned local passion into a national movement for cave animals 🦇🇦🇺

Living in Tasmania, Cathie has been active in conservation since 1974. Encouraged by Bärbel Vogel of the German Speleological Federation, she launched the Australian Cave Animal of the Year campaign in 2019 and led it until 2024. She then created the ongoing Australian Cave Animals program, developing new resources and products to raise community awareness about cave fauna.

Nurse, former park ranger, show cave manager, and communications specialist – Cathie brings a unique blend of scientific, managerial, and medical expertise to cave animal conservation.

Join us to see how local action in Australia is helping implement the – one cave animal at a time.

🦇 When: May 22, 2026 – 3 PM EDT / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST (the following day)
📍 Where: FB Live
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Este viernes 22 de mayo, celebremos el Día Internacional de la Biodiversidad a través del progroma que la Comisión de Biología de la UIS - Union Internationale de Spéléologie, ha preparado bajo el liderazgo de su Presidente, Ferdinando Didonna.

🌍 Global goals. Local action. Shared future.
The implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework happens on the ground, through the actions of people everywhere.

This , meet Ferdinando Didonna – a man who bridges caves and communities across continents. 🦇

President of the UIS Biology Commission, forestry scientist, and rural development expert, Ferdinando works with Latin American countries on environment, economics, and social development. He is also Vice President of TETIDE.ORG, Secretary of the European Cave Protection Commission (ECPC), and a member of the IUCN/WCPA Cave and Karst Working Group.

His unique perspective combines underground exploration with sustainable development – proving that cave conservation and human well-being go hand in hand.

Join us to discover how local action in subterranean ecosystems shapes global impact.

🦇 When: May 22, 2026 – 3 PM EDT / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST (the following day)
📍 Where: FB Live
📧 Contact: [email protected]

🤩Conoce a la persona que lideró el inicio de la Campaña del Animal de la Cueva del Año y cómo ha influido esta campaña en las políticas de protección de cuevas en Alemania. 🦇🕸️🦂🦎
Próximo viernes 22 de mayo, no te lo pierdas!

🤝 Biodiversity action is a shared responsibility.
Governments, indigenous peoples, local communities, businesses, youth, and civil society all have a role to play.

This , meet Bärbel Vogel – a woman who has spent over 30 years bringing speleology to the global policy table 🦇

As President of the German Speleological Federation and the UIS Karst & Cave Protection Commission, Bärbel helped invent the Cave Animal of the Year campaign and the CaveLife App. Under her leadership, the VdHK gained accreditation with ECOSOC and UNEP – giving caves a voice in international policy.

In 2025, she became the NGO focal point for a landmark UNEA-7 resolution on karst ecosystems introduced by Indonesia. She also became the first speleologist involved in reviewing GEO-7 – the world's most comprehensive environmental assessment.

Join us to learn how cave conservation is going global.

🦇 When: May 22, 2026 – 3 PM EDT / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST (the following day)
📍 Where: FB Live
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Together, we can accelerate the implementation of the – from the surface to the deepest karst.

Si hablamos de métodos y técnicas de conservación de ecosistemas subterráneos, Val Hildreth-Werker es LA referencia.

No te pierdas esta oportunidad de escucha cómo ha liderado la Campaña del Animal de la Cueva del Año desde la National Speleological Society (Sociedad Espeleológica de los EEUU).

🦇📍 No action is too small.
Every initiative contributes to a larger, global effort to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

This , meet Val Hildreth-Werker – a woman who has spent nearly five decades leaving positive fingerprints on cave conservation 🪨🧗‍♀️

From restoring damaged speleothems to training miners, NGOs, and land managers worldwide, Val helped write the "bible of cave conservation" – a 600‑page open-access manual protecting fragile subterranean life.

Join us to learn how minimum-impact methods, ethics, and restoration protocols keep cave biodiversity alive for future generations.

🦇 When: May 22, 2026 – 3 PM EDT / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST (May 23)
📍 Where: FB Live
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Let's turn awareness into action – underground and above.

No te pierdas este En Vivo, el próximo viernes 22 de mayo.

Hay que escuchar al Dr. Stefano Mammola para entender hasta qué punto la biodiversidad global depende de los ecosistemas subterráneos.

🕷️ 🦠 🦇 Subterranean biodiversity shapes our lives, our livelihoods, and our future. Yet the solutions are often local.

This , let’s make the invisible visible — starting with what lies beneath our feet.

Join Dr. Stefano Mammola, Senior Researcher at Italy’s National Research Council, as he takes us into the hidden world of cave biodiversity. From spider ecology to conservation models for subterranean ecosystems, he’s showing how even the darkest, quietest places on Earth hold keys to understanding ecological change — and how local action can shape global protection strategies.

🕯️ When: May 22, 2026 – 3 PM EDT / 9 PM CEST / 5 AM AEST (May 23)
📍 Where: FB Live
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Let’s celebrate the Cave Animal of the Year and the researchers working to protect life in the shadows.

🕷️🦠🦇 1er Concurso Internacional de Artes y Letras de la UIS
"Below the Surface, Beyond Imagination"

¿Eres espeleólog@, artista o simplemente sientes fascinación por el mundo subterráneo?
El Comité de Artes y Letras de la UIS lanza su primer concurso internacional para celebrar la creatividad inspirada en las profundidades de la Tierra.

🎨 Tema: "Mitos Subterráneos"

📌 Categorías:

Artes visuales (pintura, dibujo, ilustración, arte digital – sin fotografía)

Literatura (poesía, cuento, ensayo, artículo – máx. 1000 palabras)

Música y performance (audio o grabación – máx. 3 min)

Otras formas creativas (sketchbooks, libros de artista, instalaciones, arte conceptual, media art)

📅 Fechas clave:
🗓️ Plazo: 15 de julio de 2026
🏅 Resultados: agosto de 2026

✍️ Cómo participar:
1️⃣ Lee las bases completas aquí:
👉 https://uis-speleo.org/.../the-1st-international-arts.../
2️⃣ Envía tu obra a través del portal oficial:
👉 https://forms.gle/tFdY22bogdHUTDmi9

📧 Problemas técnicos: [email protected]

¡Inspírate en la oscuridad y cuéntale al mundo tu mito subterráneo!

𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 1𝙨𝙩 𝙐𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙨 & 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩

"Below the Surface, Beyond Imagination"

The UIS Arts and Letters Committee is proud to launch its first international contest! We invite all cavers and karst explorers at heart to reflect on the underground world through creativity and poetic intuition.

Theme: "Subterranean Myths"

Categories:

Visual Arts: Painting, Drawing, Illustration, Digital Art (No photography).

Writing: Poetry, Short Stories, Essays, Literary articles (Max 1,000 words).

Music & Performance: Audio tracks or recorded performances (Max 3 mins).

Other Creative Forms: Sketchbooks, Art Books, Conceptual Designs,
Installations, Media Art

Recognition:

Evaluated by an International Jury (Blind Judging).

Featured on UIS social media and website gallery.

Official Certificates signed by the UIS President. Announced during the annual UIS meetings.

Key Dates:

Deadline: 15 July, 2026.

Results: August 2026.

How to Enter:
• Read full details & concept here: https://uis-speleo.org/index.php/2026/05/08/the-1st-international-arts-letters-contest-2026/

• Submit via official portal: https://forms.gle/tFdY22bogdHUTDmi9

(For technical issues, contact: [email protected])