Mole Creek Karst is a national park situated in the North of Tasmania, Australia, 168 km northwest of Hobart. It is located on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers to the east of the town of Mole Creek. as well as the Marakoopa cave; which is popular for its fantastic glow worm display, and features two underground streams, large caverns, rim pools, reflections and shawl and flowstone features, have been developed as very successful show caves and are the main attraction of the guided cave tours. Many of the caves within the national park remain underdeveloped and are not promoted, although they are visited by the occasional recreational caver. Many other caves are located on private land, and therefore pose an issue in regards to management and conservation.
The national park is categorised as an IUCN Category II protected area.
The karst system is also home to many other protected cave species, such as crickets Micropathus cavernicola, and Parvotettix geode; beetles, Tasmanotrechus cockerilli; harvestman, Hickmanoxyomma gibbergunyar; and pseudoscorpions Pseudotyrannochthonius typhlus.
The following is a list of some of the species within the Mole Creek Karst National Park; both within the caves, and in the surrounding forests. The following species are considered endangered, vulnerable and rare by the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.
Cave-dwelling species present in the cave systems are easily damaged or killed by cave visitors. People visiting the caves can crush, damage and destroy food sources and important habitats of cave-dwelling species, and also potentially kill rare and endangered species dwelling in the caves. Trampling of floors by large quantities of visitors also hard pack the dirt rendering it unsuitable as habitat for species.
One aspect that draws tourists every year are the fantastic formation of speleothems present in the cave, otherwise known as stalagmites and stalactites, well as the sparkling calcite that adorns many of the cave walls. However, these beautiful natural formations are delicate and easily damaged and destroyed. Visitors in Georgies Hall, Honeycomb 1 cave and Tailender Cave have already caused serious, and in some cases, irreparable damage to speleothems and calcite formations in the caves, by tracking mud and dirt across the delicate surfaces by not sticking to marked paths, or due to irresponsible cave exploring. It was found to be caused by increased air flow causing a reduction in humidity and increased evaporation. This is an example of the fickle nature of a caves microclimate, and how important it is to the species who rely on it.
It has also been found the fluctuating light levels due to the inclusion of lighting systems in caves to aid in visibility for human access can have detrimental effects on the organisms within a cave.