Exploration and research on the preservation environment of cave sites: An example of the Zengpiyan site in Guilin

Reasonable exploitation, utilization and protection of cave sites are important premises for heritage and development of site culture. Taking the Zengpiyan cave site in Guilin as an example, this work identifies the problems in the process of preservation and development based on the detection and monitoring of the site and the recognition of the hydrogeological units and groundwater characteristics of the site. Then possible measures were suggested for the protection of the site, which will aid in the protection of cave sites under similar conditions. The results show that there are different problems in the three protected areas of the Zengpiyan site, i.e. the core protected area is facing the risk of chemical erosion, the existing protection methods of the first-class protected area lack diversity and the second-class protected area lacks sufficient monitoring. Accordingly, the following measures are put forward, (1) The mechanism of groundwater and reductive environment on the cultural layer erosion should be studied in depth in the core protected area. (2) The management of sewage discharge should be strengthened and the forms and means of cave site protection should be increased in the first-class protected area. (3) The monitoring of environmental indicators should be strengthened and the construction of projects within protected areas should be controlled in the second-class protected area. Furthermore, the protection measures should be extended to general cave sites, including establishing a long-term monitoring system that can show the environmental dynamics; using 3S technology to establish a monitoring network and assist planning; standardizing the exploration and planning management of cave sites; and improving the publicity of cave site protection and public participation capacity through multiple ways.