"Geographical coverage";"Definition of a cave";"Defined spatial criteria of a cave";"Legal source" "EU member states";"Caves  not  open  to  the  public,  including  their  water  bodies  and  streams,  hosting  specialised  or  high  endemic  species,  or  that  are  of  paramount  importance  for  the  conservation  of  Annex  II  species  (e.g.  bats, amphibians)";"Not defined";"Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats, version EUR 28" "Bosnia and Herzegovina (Entity: Federation of BiH and Entity: Republic of Srpska)";"Speleological objects are naturally formed underground cavities longer than 5 meters, that can be entered by man, and the dimensions of the entrance are less than the depth or length of object (caves, pits, abysses, estavels, etc.)";"More than 5 m long; object can be entered by man, with dimensions of the entrance less than the depth or length of object";"Zakon o zaštiti prirode („Službene novine Federacije BiH“, broj:66/13); andZakon o zaštiti prirode (“Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske, broj:113/08)" Bulgaria;"The cave is an underground cavity with a volume, big enough to fit a man";"Big enough to fit a man";"Source used in the speleology manual: Malcolm S. Field (2002) A Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology with Special Reference to EnvironmentalKarst Hydrology. Office of Research and Development,U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC" Croatia;"Speleological objects/spaces are naturally formed underground spaces (caves, pits, abysses, estavelles, etc.), as well as their parts";"Not defined";"Point 46, paragraph 1, article 9 of the Nature protection act (Official Gazette, No. 80/2013, 15/2018, 14/2019 and 127/19)" Germany;"Caves, including their waterbodies, are usually inhabited by specialized typical species (cavernicolous fauna), which may include rare local or regional endemics, restricted to one or a few cave systems. Semi-caves (""Balmen"") are included if they have specific vegetation or fauna";"Not defined";"Legal source refers only to EU Habitats Directive itself, BNatSchG § 31-36 (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz, framework law) at National level, different implementations in the 16 Federal states with additional laws on nature conservation (Landesnaturschutzgesetze). See also Ssymank (in press)" Greece;"Caves are not defined/interpreted in Greece's legislation";"Not defined";"Not available" Hungary;"Cave is a natural cavity formed in the earth's crust, which exceeds the length of 2 meters along its longitudinal axis and - after the removal of its current or natural deposit - it is possible for a human to enter";"More than 2 m long (longitudinal axis); broad enough to enter";"1996. évi LIII. törvény a természet védelméről (Law on nature protection), Tvt. 23§" Italy;"Both natural and artificial cavities are not defined/interpreted in Italy's legislation. They are not protected at the origin but only by special laws on extractive activities, mineral waters, archaelogy and fine arts, or by parks, reserves and regional laws  ";"Not defined";"Underground mines stay under the dictates of the D.P.R. no. 128 of 09/04/1959 (Police regulations of mines and quarries, updated with Legislative Decree no. 624/96) while cavities of historical-archaeological interest or of particular geological singularity are protected by the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape (Legislative Decree 22.01.2004 no. 42)" Latvia;"Natural or naturalised subterranean entity within bedrock or cemented Quaternary sediments more than 3 m long and broad enough to enter";"More than 3 m long; broad enough to enter; length > width of the entrance";"Page 12 in Eniņš (2004)" Luxembourg;"Caves and semi-caves not used for tourism, including their water bodies. Requirements:1) naturally formed underground cavity with a dark zone. 2) minimum size: cavities into which a person can enter, larger than 5m³, with a depth of at least 5m. 3) animal burrows are explicitly excluded";"At least 5 m long; broad enough to enter; volume larger than 5m³";"Monitoring sheet and national interpretation manual" Romania;"The cave is a natural cavity formed in the earth's crust, wide and deep enough to allow a human to enter. By extension, the cave can be a system that can have more than one entrance and consists of several galleries, halls, wells and chimneys. The term also applies to the cavities defined above, which are partially or completely submerged or which have been opened by demolition or clearing";"Wide and deep enough to allow a human to enter";"Art. 43(3) from Governmental Emergency Ordinance 57/2007, approved by Law 49/2011"