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Herald Moth Scoliopteryx libatrix. Photo: Bärbel Vogel
International Union of Speleology Biology Commission
Cave animal sampling. Photo: Rainer Straub, assistance Hannes Köble
Caves represent critical ecosystems that house specialized and fragile species. The "Cave Animal of the Year" campaign was initiated to bring these environments into public focus.
The International Union of Speleology UIS is joining the Cave Animal of the Year campaigns since the International Year of Caves and Karst 2021/2022 by inventing an International Cave Animal of the Year.
The campaign’s influence has grown now under the UIS’s Biology Commission umbrella. Every year, a selected species serves as a focal point for educational and conservation activities in the participating countries.
Find out more about
International Cave Animals of the Years
National Cave Animals of the Years
News
Romania. Photo: Andreas Schober
1st International Summer School in Biospeleology
Cave fauna & habitats monitoring
20 - 27 July 2026, Ic Ponor (Apuseni Mountains, Romania)
Organized by the University Babes Bolyai (Romania)
Based on lecturers long term experience on cave fauna systematic and taxonomy, habitat monitoring and sampling methods, the school aims to provide a background on the assessment of subterranean biodiversity and the implementation of standardized monitoring protocols for cave-dwelling organisms and their habitats discussed in a series of theoretical lectures and applied field trips.
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Cave Animals and Cave Animals of the Year campaigns will be highlighted in an online session at May 22 the International Biodiversity Day.
The recording shall be visible at YouTube soon.
The Cave Animal of the Year campaigns were presented at the International Congress of Speleology 2025 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The program provided a Subterranean Biology Symposium and Sessions.
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