Qualification of Caves for Educational Use and Scientific Dissemination: a Methodological Proposal

Abstract

Considering the growing debate on issues related to the conservation of the global geoheritage, and with the understanding that there is an urgent need to make available a mechanism for the qualification of caves for educational use and scientific communication, this article proposes a new qualification method and the results of its application in the Vale do Ribeira caves. The main objective of this method is to give input for new approaches to the geosciences in middle schools and to provide more data to justify strategies for the conservation of the Brazilian speleological heritage. Regarding the region under study, the researchers evaluated one of the richest speleological provinces in Brazil. The present study describes how the methodology was developed, considering a collective method and local knowledge for the cave’s evaluation process. They discuss the subjectivity of the process and the main characteristics necessary to support educational strategies, scientific dissemination, and communication about caves. The conclusions suggest using the methodology as a quick resource for preliminary studies on characterisation and comparison between caves and karst regions.