Ciências ULisboa, the Mira de Aire Caves and ICNF strengthen research into subterranean heritage

The depths of the Mira de Aire Caves and the Algar do Pena Caves are set to receive a new scientific boost. Ciências ULisboa, the Mira de Aire Caves and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) have signed a cooperation protocol to strengthen scientific research and deepen knowledge of the subterranean ecosystems of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park (PNSAC).

The agreement provides for the creation and development of the International Scientific Laboratories of the Mira de Aire Cave and the Algar do Pena, as well as support for speleological scientific research within the PNSAC. Researchers and students will be able to carry out work in these facilities, which may also host training activities, science communication initiatives, and national and international projects.

“The Subterranean Laboratories make it possible to carry out studies inside the caves themselves,” explains Ana Sofia Reboleira, professor at Ciências ULisboa and responsible for the scientific coordination of these infrastructures.

The researcher highlights the importance of these spaces for “long‑term biological and ecological research” and for the study of strictly cave‑dwelling species, but stresses that their potential goes far beyond biology: “they serve highly diverse fields, such as medicine, physics, chemistry, astrobiology and, naturally, the geosciences”. One of the laboratories is already in operation in the Algar do Pena. The “Troglobiário” is located 45 metres below the surface and offers easy access, artificial lighting, power supply, internet, a long‑term monitoring station, as well as aquaria and terraria. “It opens a window into the deep subterranean environment,” says Ana Sofia Reboleira. The laboratory was created in 2013 with the researcher’s collaboration and has been used by national and international scientists throughout the past decade.

The space also has a citizen‑science dimension, involving the Alcanede School Group. Among the initiatives developed are two editions of the “Cientistas de Palmo e Meio” Congress, which, according to the researcher, “brought subterranean science to more than 1,000 primary school pupils across the country”.

The network of subterranean laboratories now gains a new facility in the Mira de Aire Cave. Its creation results from a joint strategy between Ciências ULisboa and the company Grutas de Mira de Aire, SA, with the aim of supporting research and promoting scientific literacy on subterranean ecosystems. For Ana Sofia Reboleira, this laboratory also opens up a particularly relevant research opportunity: “It is an unprecedented opportunity to study the impact of human activity on subterranean ecosystems.”

The partnership gains significance in a territory of high scientific interest. The Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park hosts a large number of caves and important subterranean water resources, as well as endemic cave‑dwelling species. “This partnership makes it possible to generate new knowledge about subterranean ecosystems and to transmit it immediately, contributing to increased subterranean scientific literacy,” the researcher states.

The initiative is also linked to the work carried out by the Cátedra em Sustentabilidade de Ecossistemas Subterrâneos (EcoSub), focused on the science, education and conservation of these environments. “The Subterranean Laboratories are unique infrastructures, promoted by the Chair, which place Ciências ULisboa at the forefront of subterranean research at an international level,” explains Ana Sofia Reboleira.

The facilities are equipped with continuous monitoring stations that allow real‑time data transmission, following the model developed in the Barrocal‑Cave project at the Vale Telheiro Cave in Loulé. The involvement of students and young researchers is another dimension of the partnership. “Our students are already carrying out research activities in these laboratories, and others may request access to the infrastructure,” the professor notes. The spaces may also be used for “advanced courses, postgraduate training and science communication activities”, including in collaboration with other universities and with pre‑university education.

The protocol was signed by Maria da Conceição Freitas, Dean of Ciências ULisboa, Carlos Alberto Gomes Jorge, Chair of the Board of Directors of Grutas de Mira de Aire, and Carlos Alberto Marcelino de Albuquerque, Member of the ICNF Board of Directors.