Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains more than 100 hypogenic caves formed 7–14 million years ago and largely isolated from modern surface energy inputs. The environments in the park caves have been stable for thousands of years, making them excellent natural laboratories for studying life in extreme environments and the influence of microbes on geologic features. The park was designated a World Heritage Site in 1995, primarily on the basis of the exceptional cave resources. The National Park Service has implemented an adaptive, science-based management plan to protect these resources. This plan uses specific desired conditions appropriate to the cave environment, designated use, and current level of impacts to guide management decisions. Monitoring of resource conditions and trends of any changes are done to ensure that the desired conditions are maintained and whether further management actions are necessary to protect the resources for the enjoyment and study of future generations.