The Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve:
A Framework for Sustainable Development

Debra D. Kreitzer
Department of Geography and Geology
Western Kentucky University

The International Biosphere Reserve System:
One of the most famous sites along the Heritage Corridor is Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) forms the core area of the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve (MCABR). The International Biosphere Reserve (IBR) system was instituted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1968 as part of the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB). In order for a location to receive a biosphere reserve designation certain criteria must be met. First, it must have a legally protected "core" area. This core area is often a national or state park or reserve. Second the core area must be surrounded by a zone or zones that are generally rural, or where human activity is of low intensity. These areas are considered "zones of cooperation" and are buffer zones to the core area. Third, adjacent to the buffer zone is an area of transition, the "interaction zone," where communities work to achieve sustainable development which will help to conserve the natural resources of the core area while being economically beneficial. Major goals of the IBR system are the conservation of important biological resources, sustainable economic development, the support of environmental research and education and, perhaps most importantly, the creation of a framework or procedure to bring people together to achieve these goals (Fletcher, 1996).

In 1974, the United States established its own Man and the Biosphere Program. The U.S. MAB Program consists of representatives from supporting federal, state, and private agencies, and is organized into six program directorates. Five of the six are concerned with research and cross-disciplinary collaboration among natural and social scientists. The sixth is a fairly new directorate and is concerned with the management issues of the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Program. This directorate's main goal is to create a network of biosphere reserves that represent the biogeographical diversity of the United States as well as fulfilling the already established functions of an IBR.

The U.S. Biosphere Reserve Directorate's other goals are: (1) to encourage cooperative partnerships among all the stakeholders involved in or living in the biosphere reserve area; (2) to acquire and integrate the knowledge necessary for sustaining biodiversity, cultural values, and viable economies within the ecosystem. (3) promote public awareness that will help to strengthen the commitment of stakeholders through education; and (4) to establish ways to share and disseminate data and information between biosphere reserves and others (U.S. MAB Secretariat, 1995).

The Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve

The U.S. MAB nominated the MCABR because of the long history in researching the hydrology of the area and the close relationship between human uses of the land and ground- water quality. The local development authority, private and local businesses and agencies, and Mammoth Cave National Park had already demonstrated their willingness to consider the results of this research in their planning. UNESCO designated the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve in 1990. Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) forms the legally protected core area. The Park City and Cave City areas are delineated as the zone of cooperation. The interaction zone extends past Bonnieville to the north, past Glasgow to the east, to Woodbury in the west, and to Bowling Green in the south. The original MCABR covered 83,377 hectares (205,926 acres). In 1995 the MCABR was expanded to cover, including the interaction zone, 828,727 hectares (2,047,784 acres) (BRADD, 1995).

The MCABR covers all of Edmonson county and parts of Barren, Butler, Hart, Grayson, Metcalfe, and Warren counties (including the zone of cooperation and the interaction zone). The biome is temperate broadleaf forest and the biogeographic province is oak - hickory mixed mesophytic eastern forest. Previous to the establishment of the National Park in 1941, the land was primarily owned by private individuals who engaged in farming. Thus the forest in the area consists almost entirely of secondary growth (U.S. MAB, 1995).

The Protected Core

Mammoth Cave National Park, the protected core of the Biosphere Reserve, is the only area that is officially managed under strict Federal guidelines. The park covers some 20,496 hectares (52,700 acres) and is generally of sound ecological health. The population of MACA varies, with about 40 people living permanently in the park, and 36 seasonally (BRADD, 1994). The most important research and monitoring problems concern the groundwater hydrology of the area. Karst landscapes, like those found in the MCABR area, are characterized by sinkholes, caves, sinking streams, and discharge streams which quickly transport precipitation runoff, and any contaminants this runoff might contain, via underground streams. Because of the quick and easy drainage of runoff through sinkholes, cracks and crevices, karst systems are very susceptible to pollution. Like in nonkarst areas, pollution comes from a variety of sources. Pollution can originate from industrial and hydrocarbon wastes, sinkhole dumps, polluted surface streams, agricultural derived nitrates, surface dumps, herbicides and pesticides, highway spills and leaking sewer lines, pumps, or tanks. Karst areas differ from nonkarst areas because the pollution is usually transmitted directly to the groundwater and may travel several miles within a matter of hours or days (White, 1989).

The Zone of Cooperation

The mostly privately owned "zone of cooperation" takes the place of a buffer zone in the MCABR and has a direct influence on the core area. The water in this area drains underground, through Mammoth Cave National Park, to the Green River. This area, unlike similar areas in most other U.S. Biosphere reserves, has a well-delineated boundary. The zone of cooperation is 95,259 hectares (235,384 acres) in size and has a permanent population of just over 9,000 people and a seasonal population of about 1000. A significant portion of the economy in this area depends upon tourism. The rest is predominantly agricultural. This is the groundwater recharge area for Mammoth Cave National Park (BRADD, 1994).

The zone of transition is not quite as rural, containing small towns and cities such as Glasgow and it consists of 712,972 hectares (1,761,754 acres). The Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) is responsible for coordinating rural development in the transition zone. The economy in this area revolves around agriculture, light industry, and tourism. The population consists of roughly 67,500 permanent and 3,500 seasonal residents. Though the water in this area does not drain directly through MACA, it does drain into rivers that form the hydrologic boundaries of the region. Consequently, contaminants could eventually be carried through the national park (BRADD, 1994).

 

Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

Mammoth Cave National Park is one of the prominent protectors of biological diversity in Kentucky. Although most of the park consists of secondary growth woodland, there is a variety of unique plant life. Hemlocks and other northern plants grow in the cool, moist, and relatively shaded ravines and wetlands, while prairie vegetation grows in the open barrens. Botanists are still updating the list of plant life in the park. So far, 872 species of flowering plants have been identified, 21 of these are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern (MACA, 1997). There are 84 species of trees native to the region, including deciduous trees such as Oak, Hickory, Beech, Maple, and Tulip Poplar, and evergreens such as the Eastern Red Cedar, Eastern Hemlock, and Virginia Pine (BRADD, 1994).

Animals on the surface are typical of an eastern hardwood forest. However, 20 years ago some animals, like the wild turkey, were no longer found in this part of Kentucky. In 1983 wild turkey were reintroduced to the park and today they are thriving. The Green River supports a large diversity of fish, including five species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Over 50 species of mussel live in the Green River. Three of these are on the endangered species list. Aquatic animals are of special concern. They provide nourishment for other animals in the park. They also tend to be indicator species, indicating when there are problems with the environment that may eventually harm other species (BRADD, 1994).

There are over 200 species of animals that biologists have identified that either live in, or use the caves in this region. Of these animals, 42 are troglobites, or animals that can live exclusively in the cave. Included in this group are the eyeless cave beetles and eyeless fish and crayfish. Mammoth Cave National Park houses several species that are on either Kentucky's endangered or threatened list or on the Federal endangered or threatened list. Because protecting biodiversity is the main concern of the MCABR, and of IBR as a whole, these species are of particular concern. The eyeless Kentucky Cave Shrimp is only found in the underground rivers of the Mammoth Cave system and is an endangered species (NPS, 1997). Considering the special circumstances of the karst topography in south central Kentucky, one of the main concerns of the MCABR is the impact that agriculture and commercial and residential land use has on the aquatic ecosystems that provide homes for these species (U.S. MAB, 1995).

The designation of the Mammoth Cave Area as an International Biosphere Reserve is an honor earned by many of the citizens living along the Heritage Corridor. This honor comes with the responsibility of protecting threatened and endangered species and overall biodiversity while maintaining sustainable development. The MCABR is being used to develop and test methods of evaluating and monitoring biodiversity, sustainability and especially quality of life. Water quality has improved dramatically in the MCABR during the last decade. Aquatic communities are making a comeback. More and more is being learned about karst aquifers and how land use affects water quality. Best Management Practices are being used by many area farmers due in part to government funding. These practices help reduce groundwater pollution due to pesticides, fertilizers, sedimentation, and animal waste.

The Heritage Corridor is part of a remarkable, but environmentally sensitive landscape. The MCABR is an important component of this area. The information that is gained from the research done in conjunction with the MCABR will help to protect and preserve not just biodiversity, but the economic future of this historically and environmentally rich region.

Table 1: Threatened and Endangered Species

Table 1 Threatened and Endangered Plants
Name	Kentucky Listing	Federal Listing
Western Silvery Aster	Threatened
Western False Foxglove	Threatened
Cypress-Knee Sedge	Threatened
Yellow Lady’s-Slipper	Threatened
Prairie Gentain	Endangered

 

Sharp-Scaled Manna Grass	Threatened
Eggert’s Sunflower	Endangered	Proposed Threatened
Lesquereux’s Bladder-Pod	Endangered

 

Wood Lily	Threatened
Small Sundrops	Endangered
Spotted Pondweed	Threatened
Grassleaf Arrowhead	Threatened
Hairy Nutrush	Threatened
Downy Goldenrod	Threatened
Buffalo Clover	Endangered
Wood’s False Hellebore	Threatened
Threatened and Endangered Mussels (Unionids)
Name	Kentucky Listing	Federal Listing
Elktoe	Threatened
Spectaclecase	Threatened
Fanshell	Endangered	Endangered
Northern Riffleshell	Endangered	Endangered
Long-solid	Threatened
Pink Mucket	Endangered	Endangered
Ring Pink	Endangered	Endangered
Clubshell	Endangered	Endangered
Rough Pigtoe	Endangered	Endangered
Kentucky Creekshell	Endangered
Pyramid Pigtoe	Endangered	Endangered

Threatened and Endangered Crustaceans
Indiana Eyeless Crayfish	Threatened
Mammoth Cave Shrimp	Endangered	Endangered

Threatened and Endangered Fish

Spotted Darter	Threatened
Slender Madtom	Endangered

 

Threatened and Endangered Reptiles
Northern Coal Skink	Threatened
Eastern Slender Glass Lizard	Threatened
Northern Pine Snake	Threatened

 

Threatened and Endangered Birds
Common Name	Kentucky Listing	Federal Listing
Northern Harrier	Threatened
Bald Eagle	Endangered	Endangered

 

 

Threatened and Endangered Mammals
Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat	Threatened
Southeastern Bat	Endangered
Gray Bat	Endangered	Endangered
Eastern Small-Footed Bat	Endangered	Endangered
Indiana Bat	Endangered	Endangered
Evening Bat	Threatened

Source: MACA, 1997.

Last Updated 3/14/02