Fatuk Kuak hosi Timor Lorosa'e - Grutas de Timor-Leste

UNESCO Proclaims the International Day of Caves and Karst!

At today’s General Conference of UNESCO in Samarkand (12 November 2025), 13 September was officially proclaimed the International Day of Caves and Karst — a global recognition of the significance of the hidden world beneath our feet.
The initiative was proposed to UNESCO by the Republic of Slovenia, following the proposal of the International Union of Speleology (UIS), in close cooperation with the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO, the Permanent Delegation of Slovenia to UNESCO, and the Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU, where the UIS headquarters has been based in Postojna, Slovenia.
Caves and karst cover nearly one quarter of the Earth’s land surface and provide drinking water to over a billion people. They preserve unique subterranean biodiversity, geological archives, and invaluable cultural heritage. Yet, they remain among the least understood and most fragile ecosystems on our planet.
The International Day of Caves and Karst will help raise global awareness, promote research, education, and international cooperation in science, environmental protection, culture, and sustainable tourism.
The UIS warmly thanks all UNESCO Member States that supported the initiative, as well as the UNESCO scientific programmes (IGGP, MAB, IHP) and international partners including the International Science Council (ISC), IUCN, and more than 150 organizations worldwide that endorsed the proposal. Our sincere appreciation goes to the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Slovenia to UNESCO in Paris for their dedicated diplomatic efforts and continuous support.
From now on, September 13 will unite the global cave and karst community in celebrating and protecting these vital landscapes — for science, for nature, and for humanity.
Don’t forget, in 2026 we will celebrate the first ever International Day of Caves and Karst on 13 September!
Nadja Zupan Hajna, UIS Past President

To learn more, visit:
International Day of Caves and Karst website: https://www.caveskarstday.org/
UIS official website: https://uis-speleo.org/

Um grande evento organizado pela Federação Portuguesa de Espeleologia - APD, para a European Cave Rescue Association.

https://gpixel.org/q/m/tl/yndex.php =0.9227676&x=0.5&y=0.27422

Carta de Timor-Leste 1:50.000 High-resolution zoomable topographic map of East Timor scale 1:50.000 (1 cm on the map ≡ 500 m on the terrain), transverse Mercator projection. Relief shown by contours (25 m steps) and spot heights, includes index.

Esboço geológico da província de Timor
Ano: 1964.
Fonte: FAO
Link: https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/por/catalog.search?fbclid=IwAR3p5fRlu4sWhxEcpjXalATUNzOaGGooRZeIodyLx__PhmozeQLSkS-S8g4 #/metadata/f0968270-88fd-11da-a88f-000d939bc5d8

FAO Map Catalog O projecto GeoNetwork opensource permite de uma maneira fácil a partilha de informações temáticas georeferenciadas entre várias organizações. Para mais informações contacte-nos

International Year of Caves and Karst Welcome to the International Year of Caves and Karst!International year celebrates and informs the world about important topics, many of which are not known ...

FPE - Federação Portuguesa de Espeleologia, APD Site oficial da Federação Portuguesa de Espeleologia, APD