Cavers' knowledge of biosecurity and its influence on the prevention of white-nose disease

White-nose disease (WND) is a deadly disease in hibernating bats. Its causal agent is the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that was only recently introduced to North America, where it causes pervasive mortality. In contrast, it is native to Eurasia, where bats do not experience mass mortality. The pathogen successfully survives for long periods in cave substrates (e.g., mud, soil) as well as on contaminated caving clothes and equipment. This emphasizes the importance of limiting its human-mediated spread, particularly over long distances and from areas where it is native and genetically highly diverse. To assess associated conservation risks more precisely, we conducted a global online survey on cavers' WND knowledge, travel frequencies, and hygiene habits regarding caving equipment, and we analysed the relationship between those variables. We interpreted our results based on respondents' continents of origin, separating them into 3 categories: continents where Pdwas recently introduced and continues to cause significant bat mortality (North America); continents where Pd is currently not present but is hypothesized to cause bat mortality if introduced (Australia and South and Central America); and continents where Pd is native and currently not associated with bat mortality (Europe and Asia). We found significant differences between categories, showing that further awareness of WND is most needed in Europe and Asia where specific guidelines for limiting Pd spread are still to be developed. Interestingly, however, WND knowledge alone explained very little variance in respondents' hygiene habits, showing that other factors such as habits, emotions, or personal values have a stronger influence on cavers' behaviour.