Environmental monitoring in the Kaklik Cave (Denizli, Turkey)

Abstract

The formation of caves is the special environment of our earth. Caves with dim natural light and lighted hypogean environments, have been found various organism. The Kaklik Cave located tectonic lines and has a very different way of formation when compare with many other same karstic formation caves. The Kaklik Cave is located in the area of Kaklik town in Honaz area and in Denizli province. The cave is one of the 54 cave opened to tourism in Turkey and endanger. In this study the cave climate, hydrol?ogy and biology were studied. The cave has specific species due to this formation, the entrance is wide and open to the sky, that makes the sunlight could go through a very wide area and cause of it is very rich about hydrology, these effects; provide a very high biodiversity to the cave. The cave has very important touristic potential because of the continuously growing travertine, geographical position, availability of access and natural beauties. The wrong artificial lightning badly changes the natural structure of the cave. This artificial lightning causes the biofilm layer and changing on the color of the travertine.