A presidential decree in Brazil published Nov. 10 authorizes the destruction of caves. This country has 4,629 identified caves — a total which grows 300 each year. Only the caves considered important will be protected. This “harmful” measure is the result of pressure from large construction and mining companies, according to Marcelo Rasteiro, secretary of the Brazilian Speleology Society (SBE).

There is no evidence that the caves are blocking development, he said in a Tierramérica interview. The elimination of the caves would be “a drug to treat a disease that we don't even know if it exists.”

The SBE protested the decree in a manifesto backed by 160 entities and more than 2,000 people. But it did not achieve the dialogue it requested with the government, which “turned its back on civil society,” said Ribeiro.

The caves protect water sources and many species of plants and animals, as well as contributing to climate studies, he said.