Výpustek Cave - Protection and research
NATURE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH
In 1956 the whole Moravian Karst was declared a protected landscape area. All underground and surface karst phenomena, their biotic and abiotic components, are thus strictly protected according to Act No. 114/92 Coll., on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection. The scientifically particularly valuable Křtiny Valley contains several small conservation areas. The Výpustek Cave is situated in the “U Výpustku” nature reserve established by the decree of the Ministry of Culture of the Czechoslovak Republic No. 6084 from 11 July 1977 with an area of 21.43 ha of natural forest vegetation consisting of oak to beech-oak vegetation with undergrowth of many protected and endangered species of plants (Red Helleborine, Turk’s Cap Lily, Perennial Honesty, etc.). In the cave itself you can see Greater Mouse-eared Bats (Myotis myotis) and Lesser Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Also a new species of mite (Parasitus lunulatus) is described here.
Since 2006, the Výpustek Cave, together with other open caves in the Czech Republic, is under the administration of the state agency the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic. Its task is not only to take care of the cave and its presentation in public but also the survey and research of this surprisingly little-known underground area. In addition to cave microclimate monitoring, speleobiological exploration and expert documentation of cave spaces, the agency cooperates with the Czech Speleological Society, which has renewed its speleological research and revealing of so far inaccessible parts in the Výpustek Cave.
According to the “management plans”, the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic removes undesirable remains of human activity step by step by means of interventions and measures and restores the cave to its natural or at least somewhat natural condition. New opportunities to make some other parts of the Výpustek Cave, which were not affected by undesirable effects, accessible to the public are opening up.
