Commissions and Working Groups

Commissions and Working Groups are where UIS's actual speleological work is done. Anyone who wants to contribute is encouraged to collaborate in the work of a commission under the co-ordination of its president. Please contact the respective president directly. Their contact details are linked to the person's name.

Two types of "Working Groups" appear in the list below. Top-level Working Groups are similar to Commissions in that they must be approved by a UIS General Assembly, but they are temporary, and terminate when their task is completed. The other type are internal Working Groups within existing Commissions, and can be formed and dissolved by the Commissions themselves whenever needed for some specific task or project.

Commissions who have their own website are encouraged to email the Addresses Manager to have their site linked to this page. Alternatively, they can send files describing their commission in plain ASCII or HTML format for local loading at this UIS website. UIS can also host commission websites under UIS sub-domains if requested.

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• Protection and Management.
• Research
• Documentation
• Exploration
• Education

Other

• Advisory Committee
• International Journal of Speleology
• Internet Team

Department of Protection and Management.

Département de la protection et de l'exploitation.

President: Jean-Pierre BARTHOLEYNS, Belgium.

International Show Caves Association.

Association Internationale des Grottes Touristiques.

Secretariat : Renata MARINELLI, Italy.

Department of Research

Département de la recherche scientifique

Archeology and Paleontology in Caves Commission.

Commission pour l'archéologie et la paléontologie dans les grottes.

Presidents: Roman HAPKA, Switzerland; David HUBBARD, USA.

Artificial Cavities Commission.

Commission des cavités artificielles.

Contact: Mario PARISE, Italy.

Biology Commission.

President: John HOLSINGER, USA.

Vice President: Jill YAGER, USA.

Secretary: Oana MOLDOVAN, Romania.

Cave Mineralogy Commission.

Commission pour la minéralogie dans les grottes.

President: Bogdan ONAC, USA/Romania.

Working Group: Speleothem Protection and Conservation.

Chairman: Vacant.

Working Group: Bibliography.

Chairman: Katalin Takacsne BOLNER, Hungary.

Working Group: Minerals Ontogeny.

Chairman: Charlie SELF, UK.

Speleothem Repository/Library.

Custodian: Paolo FORTI, Italy.

Glacier, Firn and Ice Caves Commission.

President: Adolfo ERASO ROMERO, Spain.

Hydrothermal Karst Working Group.

Groupe de travail: Karst hydrothermal.

President: Yuri DUBLYANSKY, Russia.

Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis Commission.

Commission pour l'hydrogéologie du karst et spéléogenie.

President: Alexander KLIMCHOUK, Ukraine.

Microbiology and Geomicrobiology Commission.

Commission de Microbiologie et de Géomicrobiologie.

Co-President: Hazel A. BARTON, USA.

Co-President: Juan M. GONZALEZ, Spain.

Paleo-karst and Speleochronology Commission.

Commission du paléokarst et de la spéléochronologie.

President: Stein-Erik LAURITZEN, Norway.

Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst Commission.

Commission de la physico-chimie et de l'hydrogéologie du karst.

President: Yavor SHOPOV, Bulgaria.

Pseudokarst Commission.

Commission du Pseudokarst.

1. Honorary President: Jiří KOPECKÝ, Czech Republic.

2. Honorary President: István ESZTERHÁS, Hungary.

President: Jan URBAN, Poland.

Secretary: Lúdovít GAÁL, Slovakia.

Speleotherapy Commission.

Commission de spéléothérapie.

President: Pavel SLAVÍK, Czech Republic.

Vice President: Jaroslav CHONKA, Ukraine.

Vice President: Iuri SIMIONCA, Romania.

Vice President: Rudolf PAVUZA, Austria.

Secretary: Jitka SUCHÁNKOVÁ, Czech Republic.

Bibliography: Oldřich NAVRÁTIL, Czech Republic.

(Note: Honorary President, Beata SANDRI of Austria, died 2008-08-22.)

Volcanic Caves Commission.

Commission des grottes volcaniques.

President: Jan Paul van der PAS, Netherlands.

Department of Documentation

Département de la documentation

Arts and Letters Commission.

President: Ian CHANDLER, Spain.

Secretary: Lois MANNO, USA.

Treasurer: Asa LINNMAN, Sweden.

Atlas of Karst Regions Commission.

Commission pour l'atlas des régions karstiques.

President: Karl-Heinz PFEFFER, Germany.

Bibliography Commission.

Commission de bibliographie.

President: Patrick DERIAZ, Switzerland.

History of Speleology Commission.

Commission pour l'histoire de la spéléologie.

President: Karl MAIS, Austria.

Informatics Commission.

Commission pour l'informatique.

President: Peter MATTHEWS, Australia.

Working Group: Caver's Multi-Lingual Dictionary.

Groupe de travail: Dictionnaire polyglotte du spéléologue

Chairman: Mladen GARAŠIČ, Croatia.

Working Group: Cave Data Exchange Standards.

Chairman: Peter MATTHEWS, Australia.

Working Group: Survey and Mapping.

Groupe de travail: Topographie.

Chairman: Philipp HÄUSELMANN, Switzerland.

Working Group: Survey and Mapping Grades.

Chairman: Philipp HÄUSELMANN, Switzerland.

Longest and Deepest Caves Commission.

Commission des grandes cavités.

President: Aitana TAMAYO, Spain.

Secretary: Pat KAMBESIS, USA.

Department of Exploration

Département de l'exploration

Cave Diving Commission.

Commission de la plongée souterraine.

President: Phillippe BRUNET.

Cave Rescue Commission.

Commission de spéléo-secours.

President: Christian DODELIN, France.

Materials and Techniques Commission.

Commission de matériel et techniques.

President: Vacant.

Department of Education and Teaching

Département de l'Enseignement spéléologique

President: Marcel MEYSSONNIER, France.

Speleological Education Commission

Commission de l'enseignement spéléologique.

President: Marcel MEYSSONNIER, France.

Advisory Committee

Comité Consultatif

Members (alphabetic order):

Pavel BOSÁK, Czech Republic.

Arrigo CIGNA, Italy.

Julia JAMES, Australia.

Friedrich OEDL, Austria.

Hubert TRIMMEL, Austria.

International Journal of Speleology

UIS Representative: Paolo FORTI, Italy.

Internet Team

Équipe Internet

Leader: Manuel FREIRE, Portugal.

Website Manager: Manuel FREIRE, Portugal.
Addresses Manager (People and Organisations): Erik VdBROECK, Belgium.
Calendar Editor: Manuel FREIRE, Portugal.
Technical Manager: (Vacant. Offers invited.) Acting: Peter MATTHEWS, Australia.
Site Host: Stefan NÄFF, Switzerland.
DNS Manager: Stefan NÄFF, Switzerland.

Updates to UIS Commissions

• Merged the Ice in Caves Working Group into the new Glacier, Firn and Ice Caves Commission.
• Updated the Glacier Caves and Karst in Polar Regions Commission, now called Glacier, Firn and Ice Caves Commission
  .

• Updated the Artificial Cavities Commission.
• Updated the Pseudokarst Commission.
• Updated the Materials and Techniques Commission.
• Updated the Advisory Committee.

• Added the Arts and Letters Commission.
• Added the Biology Commission.
• Added the Microbiology and Geomicrobiology Commission.
• Updated the Speleotherapy Commission.
• Updated the Glacier Caves and Karst in Polar Regions Commission by adding the Working Group: Ice in Caves.
• Updated the Informatics Commission by adding the Working Group: Survey & Mapping Grades.
• Updated the Longest & Deepest Caves Commission.
• Deleted the Constitution Commission.

• Updated the "Pseudokarst" Commission.

• Updated the Internet Team and moved it from the Informatics Commission.

• Informatics Commission: updated UIS Website Addresses Manager (Erik VDBROECK).

• Mineralogy Commission: updated President (Bogdan ONAC).