They forgot a bag of Cheetos in one of the largest caves in the United States: the problem came soon after
One tourist’s carelessness in one of the planet’s most important underground caves revealed the enormous impact humans have on the ecosystem.
Carlsbad Caverns, one of the most impressive underground complexes on the planet and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been threatened not by an earthquake or natural erosion, but by something as mundane as a bag of Cheetos left behind by a visitor.
The National Park Service (NPS), part of the United States Department of the Interior, condemned the incident as an example of how even the smallest human actions can disrupt extremely fragile ecosystems. The snack was discovered in the Great Hall, the largest underground chamber in North America, which requires more than an hour of walking underground to reach.
In a statement cited by Xataka, the agency explained that the processed, moistened corn in Cheetos creates an ideal environment for cave-dwelling microbes, fungi, and insects. This, in turn, has triggered the formation of an artificial food chain, significantly upsetting the cave’s natural balance.
“The mold spreads to nearby surfaces, fruits, and other organic matter, leaving behind an unpleasant odor. And the cycle continues,” the NPS detailed. The result? An underground ecosystem, isolated from the outside world for millions of years, has been exposed to a foreign element capable of altering its biodiversity.
This incident reflects a far broader issue. According to Xataka, over 300 million people visit the United States’ national parks each year, generating nearly 70 million tons of trash. While all ecosystems suffer from human waste, caves are particularly vulnerable due to their isolation and the presence of highly delicate endemic species.
At Carlsbad, park rangers had to conduct a thorough cleanup to remove the bag and eliminate mold traces to prevent irreversible damage.
Such environmental impacts are not limited to North America. Lascaux Cave in France, discovered in 1940 and famous for its 17,000-year-old paintings, experienced a drastic change when it opened to mass tourism in 1948. Visitors altered its microclimate, introducing humidity, carbon dioxide, and temperature fluctuations that encouraged the growth of fungi and algae, threatening the prehistoric artworks. By 1963, France decided to close Lascaux permanently to the public, allowing only scientists to access it to preserve the paintings.
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“Big or small, we all leave an impact wherever we go. Let’s leave the world a better place than we found it,” the NPS statement aptly reminds us.
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