Author: Jasmina

The International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK) was created to teach people around the world about caves and karst. Organized by the International Union of Speleology (UIS), we now have 183 national and international organizations partnering with us. Together we have 110 upcoming events announced around the world and 79 other events are already complete, most of which you can watch or read about at http://iyck2021.org/index.php/event-results/. The biggest single event for the International Year is the International Congress of Speleology (https://uis2021.speleos.fr/) which has been posted to July 2022 because of the pandemic. As a result, the UIS Bureau has decided to extend the International Year through 2022. We have contacted our partners directly so they can plan events through next year. We suggest 2021 as the virtual International Year, and as…

Regarding the Covid-19 situation and postponing of the Congress for one year, the UIS Bureau decided that there exists an acceptable reason that some of the member countries can’t pay their UIS member fees for four consecutive years. We announce here that they will not lose their membership to the UIS if they pay their fees at the 18th ICS in France in 2022. In principle, this is for those who pay in cash at the Congresses to avoid high money transfer charges. Nadja Zupan HajnaUIS Treasurer

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic requires that the 18th International Congress of Speleology, which was scheduled for this year in France, be postponed to 24-31 July 2022 at the same location. All registrations and papers sent for 2021 will be accepted for 2022 and can be canceled or adjusted if needed. Please watch the Congress website for more information: https://uis2021.speleos.fr/.

We are glad to share with you the Volume 62-2 of the UIS Bulletin. The PDF Interactive format can be downloaded here The 69pages of this issue bring the following topics: Editorial: New Decade, Brilliant Future Ahead The President’s Column: Welcome to the International Year of Caves and Karst Planning Guide for a Virtual International Year of Caves and Karst UIS Prizes 2021: Reminder for nominations International Year of Caves and Karst 2021 Opening Ceremony Book “Cave, Karst and People” International Year of Caves and Karst - Activities in some member Nations World Heritage Sites, Global Geoparks, and the IYCK Cave animal of the year Commission on History of Speleology 2020: The 70th Year of the Italian Speleological Society 80th Anniversary of the Cuban Speleological Society International Expedition CHINEXPLOS 2019…

The International Union of Speleology (UIS) welcomes everyone to the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK)! The major goal of the IYCK is to teach people about caves and karst. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to become part of the IYCK. No program or activity is too small. We are trying to reach the world and need your help. Please visit the IYCK website’s (http://www.iyck2021.org/) and its Download page for the Planning Guide and other materials you are free to use, If you have already planned events, please send them for posting on the Events page. We also welcome several new partners (almost 90 in total!) and hope to welcome more soon. The official opening of the IYCK will be on 26 January 2021. The location, details, and other…

The France HABE Prize is awarded by the Karst and the Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS). The prize is named in memory and honour of Dr. France HABE († 10/12/1999) of Slovenia (Yugoslavia), who among his other many accomplishments served as President of the UIS Protection Department (1973-1997). Its purpose is to promote the protection of karst and caves for generations to come. Their natural legacy are proven sources of increasingly rich information about the history of our planet and humanity, enabling people to act more thoughtfully, efficiently, and sustainably for the future of our environment. The 2020 Prize Two submissions were received on time from Italy and Mexico. They concern both a film about cave exploration. The Jury of the France Habe Prize 2020 was…

As part of the International Year of Caves and Karst 2021 (IYCK), UIS announces the first International Cave Animal of the Year! The International Cave Animal will raise worldwide attention on the little-known zoological diversity and importance of subterranean habitats, and thus contribute to global awareness of the urgent need for cave protection. To learn more about underground habitats, which animal is being celebrated, and which campaigns appear in different countries, see Germany -> https://hoehlentier.de/Australia -> https://www.caveanimaloftheyear.org.au/Greece -> https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/cave-animal-of-the-year-2021-greece, https://www.facebook.com/CaveAnimalOfTheYearGreece.gr/Italy -> https://animalidigrotta.speleo.it/Spain-> https://bioespeleologia.blogspot.com/2020/12/invertebrado-cavernicola-jiennense-del.htmlSwitzerland -> https://cavernicola.ch/USA -> https://caves.org/conservation/caveanimaloftheyear.shtml The first international Cave Animal of the Year is cave beetles.

Every four year at each International Congress of Speleology, the International Union of Speleology (UIS) recognizes major accomplishments over those years through the UIS Prizes. The categories have been expanded and are now: The Most Significant Cave Discovery/Exploration The Most Significant Publication About Caves or Karst (printed and digital subcategories) The Best Special Book Poster Prize Greatest Scientific Achievement The deadline for nominations is 21 May 2021, but please send your nominations early so you don’t forget! For all the details and on how to send your nominations check UIS Prizes 2021 - Call for Nominations

We are glad to share with you the Volume 62-1 of the UIS Bulletin. The PDF Interactive format can be downloaded here The 33 pages of this issue bring the following topics: Editorial: “Uplifting energy is required” The President’s Column: Advancing Speleology in the age of COVID-19 International Year of Caves and Karst 2021: How to use and edit promotional material UIS Bulletin: Complete collection now available Special issue of the International Journal of Speleology: Call for papers UIS Prizes 2021: Call for nominations The first international cave animal of the year Genovesa Underwater Cave encased in 10m of sewage In Memoriam: Trifon Daaliev (Bulgaria) Calendar of Events News from the 18th International Congress of Speleology 2021 UIS Bureau 2017/2021 List of Member Nations Annual Contributions and Bank Account We…

In this major new UIS project, KarstLink, wide and early participation is important. The project is setting up the infrastructure and recommendations to facilitate the responsible discovery, sharing and use of cave and karst data, one of the core aims of UIS. This is now practical by using the latest Internet standards from W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) for Linked Data on the Semantic Web. It will also involve creating a comprehensive ontology and vocabulary describing the data environment of caves and karst, while not duplicating common items in existing ontologies. The project is liaising of course with other organisations interested in cave and karst information.To make sure that the perspective, experience and requirements, including security, for cavers from all countries, for each karst science discipline, and for cave management are properly…