IAN R. MILLAR and KEVAN WILDE

In the  past the approach to cave and karst management by land managers  has been  largely ad-hoc and reactive. The purpose of  these management guidelines is to provide the basis for  a nationally  cohesive and pro-active approach to policy  development, management planning, in situ cave and karst  management and monitoring in protected natural areas administered by the Department, and the Crown.

A brief description of the resource is given; scientific, cultural, and  educational values  of  the  resource  are briefly described.

The general  policy for cave and karst management and the classification system  for karst  areas and caves managed by the  Department is included, along with guidelines for their implementation. The legal ownership and methodology of protection  of caves  and karst  management techniques relating to  protection and preservation and recreational use are presented.

Public safety  and search  and rescue  are briefly at the end of  each section,  and it  is recommended  that  land managers and  rangers familiarise  themselves  with  this literature.

Examples   of   entry   permits   and   the   New Zealand Speleological   Society’s    “Ethical   Guidelines”   are appended, along  with an  annotated listing  of caves and karst in protected natural areas.

[As the policies propounded in their paper have yet to be formally adopted  by the  new Department of Conservation, New Zealand, the authors felt that it was best to include an abstract  only  of  the  paper  presented  during  the Conference. - ed.]