Abstract

made use of new techniques to characterize vulnerable sites using map overlap and GIS data. However, this methodology is useful when assessing large areas, even those which were not personally visited. Its negatives are the lack of qualified professionals to use these new technologies and the time spent preparing the maps and the possible absence of pre-existing data generating a margin of inaccuracy. The use of an index to prioritize conservation of Brazilian karst systems began with the creation of the ‘Importance Value for Cave Conservation ’ (Borges et al., 2012). This index is composed by indicators and statistics in order to rank the caves but this approach is limited, because they attribute to all the caves the same weight and importance, which would not be the most appropriate. Such studies present the caves concerning its impacts or characteristics, but require long-term studies. To assist the regional management of caves with same lithology, this study proposes the use of the ‘Cave Conservation Index ’ (CCI), which