VERSION SERIES 9. of the Website marks a general presentational revision to address readability problems and underlying technical issues before the introduction of Version Series 10. in 2010. This will also allow for the completion of various individual webpages, which are now long overdue.

WE MUST REMIND OUR VISITORS THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO RE-SET YOUR SCREEN RESOLUTION, IF IT IS NOT ALREADY SET AT THE MAXIMUM LEVEL.
Please visit the "Practical Notes and Technical Information" page via the Link at the bottom of this column.

-..Karstography of Dinaric Karst in R. Bosnia & Herzegovina -
This Section of our Website is undergoing a substantive revision
with much new information being added.
The current delays experienced in upgrading these pages is connected with the extensive revision of our "Proteus Project" information.

Present Status :
The Society operates as an independent NGO within the "not-for-profit" voluntary sector. It is not, at this present time, a Registered UK Charity although, because of a strong altruistic element in its Activities governed by a formalised de facto Foreign Policy, it may be regarded without doubt as being a philanthropic or benevolent organisation.
.
Specialist earth-sciences organizations, of which the Society is a typical example, fit uneasily into the definition of what is now commonly referred to as the "Third Sector" or "charitable organizations". A "charity" is now more usually a convenient term of legal status which almost any "voluntary sector" group or organization can seek to acquire, if only to gain the uncertain benefits that such a status will confer on the organization and / or its Members. Such a status is often attained at the expense of the long-term erosion of the original principles of the organization and also does not automatically confer the application of common-sense in the use or disbursement of its funds or assets. Such organizations can become corrupted by government, over-politicised and over-professionalised, with the consequent loss in independence of thought and action and a gross dilution in the effectiveness of the original declared purpose.
Indications of this deterioration can be evidenced, for example, by the abnormally high percentages of funds spent (wasted?) on self-administration; by the gradual adoption of salaried employees to carry out the routine tasks formerly undertaken free of charge by volunteers; by giving professionals control over more critical tasks formerly controlled by volunteers or by the acceptance of creeping commercialisation into many areas.
In our opinion, the national-level "representatives" of the British caving and speleological community have gradually fallen foul of some of the above elements and they are most certainly not alone in having done so, with many other more popular British Charities having done so long ago and usually in a more grand style of deterioration. However, in our opinion, the self-declared "National leaders" of the speleological "voluntary sector" in this country certainly need to rethink their role.
.
We do not accept all the idiocies and fallacies of relevant E.U., U.K. Government or even Local Government edicts without very strong vocal or formal opposition wherever necessary.  We work with many professional individuals and we also have many who are Members, but none can ever be employed as salaried or unsalaried staff by the Society. We do not waste vast sums of money on bureaucracy or self-administration, because we have unusual Rules that accompany the roles of our Officers.
In the important matters of scientific research in our speleological and karstological programmes, we are completely open-minded in both the direction and the interpretation of results of investigations and we are inventive, innovative and resourceful in developing new research methods. As a result, the Society remains true to its original principles and ideals.
.
Proposed New Status :
The future status of the Society was the subject of a membership-wide consultation process in February 2005. The outcome supported a substantial change in the way the Society would be managed in the future. Although this change is currently subject to a considerable delay beyond our control, the Society is likely to become a Registered Charity, although this is not definite. More information about this and about the changes this could have on the Society, will be given in due course. 
In any event, Membership of the Society in the future is to be available to all upon payment of an annual Membership Fee.
.
Management :
Management of the Society's financial and material assets is undertaken by an elected Honorary [Executive] Membership, whose Officers are also responsible for the management of the Society's routine business such as Membership Registration, Insurances and General Enquiries. 
Policies and their changes in respect of Activities and objectives are decided upon by all Members at General Meetings. As a result, the Executive (or Council) is responsible for implementation and development in matters of, for example:-
   -  UK and International Research Programmes and offering and managing Project Research Assistantships;
   -  Educational Programme;
   -  The Library Facility, its Collections and its Academic & Bibliographic Services;
   -  Use and Maintenance of Surface and Underground Scientific Field Equipment;
   -  Use and Maintenance of Technical Underground Caving Equipment;
   -  Karst and Cave Conservation and Preservation;
   -  Public Service Programme;
   -  de facto Foreign Policy, which includes the Foreign Science Programme;
   -  Internal Training; 
   -  Safety;
   -  Production of a Publication.
.
..... within the framework of the Statements in the Clauses, Paragraphs and Sections of the Society's Constitution.
This will continue until a new Constitution is formulated, which will be acceptable to the Charity Commission.
.
Membership of External Institutions  :
Through individual membership of its Hon. Science Officer, the Society indirectly receives benefits of Membership of :-
   -  the International Association of Hydrological Sciences,  (joined 1994);
   -  the International Association of Hydrogeologists,  (joined 2000).
.
The latter organization operates a Karst Hydrogeology Commission...Its Website can be reached at http://www.iah.org/karst/
[The Society's Members can view the Members-only pages on the IAH Website by using the Society's passwords as prompted on-screen.
Members can obtain the passwords through the usual internal channels.]
.
Office & Documentation : 
The Society's Office (not permanently staffed) is located in its Plymouth Reference Library & Archive Facility at :-
.....46, Morley Court, Western Approach, 
.....PLYMOUTH, 
.....Devon,  PL1  1SJ.,
.....England, U.K.
Prospective.(non-Member) callers are requested to telephone or e-mail in advance of visiting :-
.....Tel  + (44) (0)1752  261278.
.....or by e-mail :..karstcentral@netscape.net
The Hon. Secretary also may be contacted at :- 
.....Tel + (44) (0)1752 309904.
.....or by e-mail :  ajsatterley@blueyonder.co.uk
.
Publication :
The Society is to publish the first of a new Series of Monographs in 2010. The Series Title / Sub-Title is to be :-
"Spelaeobiologica Bosniæ et Hercegovinæ.
..MONOGRAPHS in SPELEOBIOLOGY.AND THE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT.OF KARST CONDUIT-AQUIFER ECOSYSTEMS IN THE DINARIC KARST OF EASTERN HERCEGOVINA."
The first and all subsequent Monographs in the Series will be published jointly with our partner organization in Bosnia & Hercegovina and will support the Society's science programme in that country.
Further details can be obtained from our "Proteus Project" webpages on this Website. 
.
I.T., Central Communications and Media Resources :
This Facility is currently located in a separate room adjacent to the Society's Reference Library & Archives. It houses all the Society's I.T. equipment, together with its Systems Access Registry (SAR) system and facilities for
managing this Website and about 90% of the Society's incoming and outgoing electronic mail. The facility also houses other general communications systems. 
The Society has a range of Media Resources, capable of dealing with a variety of both analogue and digital information creation, storage and communication formats.
.
Logo :
It was not until 1998 that the Society's Logo was created. Designed by our Members, it illustrates a cave profile, whose outline is the shape of the English County of Devonshire superimposed on a matrix of the standard geological graphic representation of karstified limestone. The whole is embellished with bats and contained within inner and outer circles, within the annulus of which is inscribed the name of the Society.
.
Other Title Styles :
The Society currently has 4 other Title Language-styles used in Eastern European Countries where Foreign Members are or were resident or in which the Society's Foreign Assistance Programme operates.
.

THE KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE, (Slovenia).
of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts,
Postal Address :  Znanstvenoraziskovalni Center, Slovenske Akademija Znanosti in Umetnosti, Inštitut za Raziskovanje Krasa, Titov trg 2, SI-6230 POSTOJNA, R. Slovenia.
http://www.zrc-sazu.si/izrk/

GEOGRAPHICAL INSTITUTE "JOVAN CVIJIĆ", (Serbia).
of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts,
Postal Address :  Đure Jakšića 9/III., 11000 BEOGRAD, R. Serbia.
http://www.gi.sanu.ac.rs/en

HUNGARIAN INSTITUTE FOR SPELEOLOGY, (Hungary).
Postal Address :..Kolto út. 21., H-1121 BUDAPEST, Hungary.
(no website address)

OFFICE FOR STATE ADMINISTRATION OF SLOVAK CAVES, (Slovakia).
Postal Address :..Správa Slovenských Jaskýň, Hodžova 11., 031 01 LIPTOVSKÝ MIKULÁŠ, Slovensko.
http://www.ssj.sk

SLOVAK MUSEUM OF NATURE PROTECTION AND SPELEOLOGY, (Slovakia).
Postal Address :..Slovenské múzeum ochrany prírody a jaskyniarstva, Školská 4., 031 01 LIPTOVSKÝ MIKULÁŠ, Slovensko.
http://www.smopaj.sk

The SPELEOLOŠKO DRUŠTVO "ZELENA BRDA", (Trebinje, RS-BiH).
[This is our Partner Organization in Bosnia & Herzegovina.]
(website not available)

CRESWELL CRAGS. (U.K.). (Speleo-archaeology and palaeontology).
Postal address :  Creswell Heritage Trust, Creswell Crags Visitor Centre, Crags Road, WELBECK, Worksop, Notts., UK., S80 3LH.
http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk

MAGYAR KARSZT- ÉS BARLANGKUTATÓ TÁRSULAT, (Hungary).
Postal Address :  H-1025 BUDAPEST, Pusztaszeri út 35., Magyarország.
http://www.barlang.hu

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
DIVE MEXICO :
A site operated by one of our more enterprising Hungarian Members in Mexico.
This site offers guided Cavern Diving and Cave Diving in the cenotes of the Yucutan Karst Peninsula.
http://www.divemexico.eu