SHOWCAVE: A multidisciplinary research project. Survey and census of the paleontological and archaeological records in the tourist caves of Italy

In recent decades, interest in underground karstic environments and their natural wonders has grown considerably, not only scientifically, but also economically. So-called ‘show caves’ are caves made accessible to the public for tourism purposes and managed by a governmental or commercial organisation. The objective of this project is to provide an in-depth characterisation of the environmental impacts of tourist exploitation in Italy’s main show caves. The project involves a multidisciplinary working group, composed of five research units, focusing on the biological, palaeobiological, geological, hydrogeological, archaeological and physical components of the cave environment, with concrete opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration. The main Italian show caves have been involved as model sites for the project. The present work will present the survey and state of the art of Italian prehistoric caves. Further research will be conducted in two caves, the Toirano cave and the Valdemino cave, both in the province of Savona, to better describe the archaeological and palaeontological heritage and assess the impact of tourism on these materials. The information obtained from the characterisation of the palaeontological and archaeological heritage will be combined to develop general cave protection measures and specific proposals for tourism management methods.