12/09/2025
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CAVES AND KARST
Following the 2021-2022 International Year of Caves and Karst, the International Union of Speleology (UIS) developed a proposal that UNESCO should designate 13th September each year as an International Day of Caves and Karst (IDCK) dedicated to raising global awareness of caves and karst landscapes. The proposal has been formally submitted to UNESCO by the Slovenian Ambassador and Permanent Delegate at UNESCO and will be considered by the Member States of the Executive Board at their autumn session, which will take place between 1 and 16 October 2025. The UK is a member of the Executive Board and the BCRA Chairman has contacted the UK National Commission for UNESCO requesting that our Ambassador supports the proposal. Anyone who has links to UNESCO, perhaps via a Geopark, is also encouraged to write to the UK National Commission. At the UIS General Assembly in Brazil it was agreed that we should celebrate the IDCK as a UIS event in 2025 in the hopeful anticipation of success at UNESCO and there is an excellent website (https://www.caveskarstday.org/) that provides further information.