I have had a lifelong interest both in natural history and in cave environments. I’m currently working to bring these interests together by developing my research in the field of biospeleology. My primary interest is in the ecological functioning of cave communities. I am interested in how physical and biological factors interact to determine the distribution of organisms within the often heterogeneous cave environments. Such investigations have the potential to provide directly useful information when considering conservation issues. For example, understanding regional and local variation in the composition of cave communities allows for the prioritisation of conservation management. Similarly, an understanding of how hydrology influences nutrient supply and redistribution within caves has potential for predicting the consequences of deforestation or other anthropogenic activities which alter local hydrology. Over the last several years I have been involved in a cave mapping project in Meghalaya. During the course of this work both I and other participants have been collating observations on the biota of the caves. Collectively this information constitutes a substantial addition to the knowledge of Meghalayan cave biota. I am currently working together with Dr Biswas towards establishing a structured biological research program on Meghalayan caves.