French Federation of Speleology French Federation of Speleology The French Federation of Speleology (, FFS), is a French organisation that represents all persons practicing or studying caving and canyoning and promotes the study and conservation of caves. It was formed in 1963 by the amalgamation of two organisations, the (CNS), or National Committee of Speleology, and the (SSF), or Speleological Society of France. Founded by Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1895, the was the first organisation of its kind in Europe. Between 1895 and 1900 the society published a journal entitled "Spelunca". The society folded in 1914 at the start of World War I. After the
French Federation of Speleology offered assistance (including financial) to cavers and prepared special legislation for the exploration, discovery and exploitation of underground systems. The published a quarterly newsletter and a "Spelunca" journal (2nd series) for the publication of scientific papers and detailed accounts of exploration. On 1 March 1936, proposed by Bernard Gèze, the became the (SSF), residing in Nîmes at the Natural History Museum. The intention was to give national status to a hitherto only regional group. The SSF admitted subsidiaries and affiliates. It also continued the publication of "Spelunca". The first national speleological conference took place in Mazamet in 1939. Unlike the