The UIS Commission on Cave Mineralogy is currently soliciting a person interested in being:

Chair of the Working Group on Speleothem Protection

JOB DESCRIPTION:

1. Bring about a worldwide conservation policy prohibiting the vandalism, sale, and import-export of speleothems, by establishing international law to this effect. This task would be similar to that obtained for the International Trade Ban on elephant ivory. This job would entail coordinating with groups such as: the UNITED NATIONS, UNESCO, WORLD HERITAGE, NATURE CONSERVANCY, NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ISCA (International Show Cave Association), ISHA (International Subterranean Heritage Association), IUCN (World Conservation Union), WCPA (World Commission on Protected Areas, Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection, UIS (Union of International Speleology, Conservation Commission), and NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association).
2. Create a list of caves worldwide that need speleothem protection, some of which would be recommended for the World Heritage List.
3. Create a list of people-contacts worldwide who are interested in promoting speleothem conservation laws in their countries. Serve as networker between these various countries and peoples.
4. Create a file of speleothem-protection legislation that exists worldwide; i.e., which countries have (or do not have) laws protecting speleothems.
5. Head a Working Group of people that would help those countries which do not have legislation to go about getting legislation.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR POSITION

1. Dedicated and enthusiastic ("gung-ho") about speleothem conservation. This is a requirement, since this is a volunteer position.
2. Must speak/write English. Some fluency in French, Spanish or other languages would be helpful, but not required.
3. Some law experience or previous experience in effecting cave conservation policy.
4. Knowledge of different conservation groups and how these can be brought together to support legislation.

    AUSTRALIA: Peter Matthews, Neville Michie, Jill Rowling, Rauleigh Webb
    BELGIUM: Philippe Axell
    BRAZIL: Augusto Auler
    BULGARIA: Yavor Shopov
    CHINA: Song Lin Hua, Yuan Daoxian
    CZECH REPUBLIC: Pavel Bosak
    ENGLAND: Charlie Self
    FRANCE: Patrick Cabrol
    GERMANY: Stephan Kempe
    HUNGARY: Katalin Takacsne-Bolner
    ISRAEL: Amos Frumkin
    ITALY: Arrigo Cigna, Paolo Forti
    JAPAN: Naruhiko Kashima
    NEW ZEALAND: Paul Williams
    NORWAY: Stein-Erik Lauritzen
    POLAND: Michal Gradzinski
    ROMANIA: Bogdan Onac
    RUSSIA: Valdimir Maltsev
    SAUDI ARABIA: John Pint
    SOUTH AFRICA: Jacques Martini, Steven Craven
    SPAIN: Carmen Dominguez Alvarez, Adolfo Eraso, Jose Maria Calaforra
    UKRAINE: Alexandar Klimchouk
    USA: Jim and Val Werker (NSS Conservation Chairs), Jeanne Gurnee 
         (President ISCA), George Huppert (US-State Conservation Laws), 
         Dave Jagnow, Phil LaMoreaux (editor of Environmental Geology; 
         textbook on legal aspects of karst), George Veni, Bill and Peri Frantz.
    VENEZUELA: Franco Urbani

werks@att.net,
mcda@gugu.usal.es,
paiano@br.homeshopping.com.br,
phil@axell.org,
INST@gli.cas.cz,
patrick.cabrol@midi-pyrenees.environnement.gouv.fr,
jcalafor@ualm.es,
cigna@biemmenet.it,
forti@geomin.unibo.it,
FRANTZ@netcom.com,
msamos@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il,
JGurneeNSS@aol.com,
huppert@mail.uwlax.edu,
djagnow@roadrunner.com,
nkaseegl@viola.ocn.ne.jp,
klim@klim.carrier.kiev.ua,
pela@dbtech.net,
Stein.Lauritzen@geol.uib.no,
vl@maltsev.mian.su,
rputter@geoscience.org.za,
matthews@melbpc.org.au,
neville@CIS.MQ.EDU.AU,
bonac@hera.ubbcluj.ro,
johnpint@sps.net.sa,
Rowling@ali.com.au,
Charles.Self@tesco.net,
yyshopov@phys.uni-sofia.bg,
songjyn@public.sti.ac.cn,
Kaposi.Judit@ktmdom2.ktm.hu,
urbani@cantv.net,
gveni@flash.net,
p.willimas@auckland.ac.nz,
dxyuan@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn,
KEMPE@BIO1.bio.TH-Darmstadt.de

The UIS Mineralogy Commission is trying to identify a Chairperson(s) BEFORE the International Congress in Brazil in July of 2001.