SHOWCAVE: a multidisciplinary research project to study, classify and mitigate the environmental impact in tourist caves

Tourist caves are caves made accessible to the public for touristic purposes, managed by a governmental or commercial organization. The numbers of visitors (up to 500,000/year/cave) and the profits deriving from such activities have recently gained importance at global scale. We created a multidisciplinary research team to provide an in-depth characterization of the major Italian show caves and the environmental impacts related to tourist exploitation. Five research units will act in the project, focusing on the biotic and abiotic components of the cave ecosystem. The team will make use of innovative techniques and original methods based on a wide set of indicators, including biological, geological, palaeontological, archaeological and physical ones. Keeping in consideration the existing International Guidelines for Cave Management, specific suggestions for the sustainable management of tourism will be provided both to the national and the international audience of cave managers. The work will serve as a test for the first application of a Life Cycle Assessment to the touristic service offered by show caves, to improve and promote sustainable processes and provide a sound basis for informed decisions on cave management.