SMART-KARST · International KARSTological school Sustainable MAnagement of natural Resources on karsT""

Final Activity Report Summary - SMART-KARST (International KARSTological school "Sustainable MAnagement of natural Resources on karsT")

Karst is a landscape on water-soluble rocks. Carbonate rocks cover around 35 % of Europe, of which a large part is karstified. Karst provides unique subsurface habitat to rare animals, and caves preserve fragile prehistoric material for millennia. About 25 % of the world's population drinks water from karst aquifers. Numerous caves and beautiful scenic areas are an attraction for tourists. Karst is therefore also of a great economic significance. On the other hand, karst is a vulnerable environmental system where any human activity might be a potential threat to it. To protect it properly and to plan and control activities on this sensitive terrain Europe needs experts with comprehensive knowledge on karst and karst processes. Such studies require the application of the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary science of karstology that covers a very wide field of research and activities in which, however, the methods of many other sciences are applied. European universities mostly do not have integrated study of karstology, so most researchers working on karst topics enter the field on a post-graduate level and stay specialised within their particular topic, e.g. hydrology, geomorphology. It is therefore necessary to make a step further towards a more homogenous karst community, where knowledge is not kept behind the fence of particular scientific discipline. All the above mentioned characteristics and problems were the starting point of the idea to organise a series of training courses 'International Karstological School-Sustainable Management of Natural Resources on Karst'. Based on rich experiences in organising different types of scientific meetings, workshops and courses the host, Karst Research Institute (KRI) was able to set up a coherent programme of training courses, which were in the first place oriented towards the education and training of early-stage researchers. The goal was to enable participation also to researchers from less developed European countries or regions and also non-European countries, and to harmonise the selected topics of the events with the main research interests and achievements of the karstological science in Europe. The main objective of the proposed events was to bring together researchers of karst from different basic scientific disciplines as well as environmental managers and public officials, and especially to facilitate and advance the transfer of knowledge from experienced to early-stage researchers. In the five events, the selected topics were: sustainable management of natural and environmental resources on karst, time in karst, management of transboundary karst aquifers, karst sediments, and cave climate. A theoretical basis of each event were four keynote lectures introducing selected topics from different points of view. They were given by renowned experts from inside and outside Europe and from different fields of interest. Innovative approach of the project was also in the important share of the field work. Namely, due to a fast development of new laboratory and computer methods especially young researchers are lacking proper experiences from the karst terrain, and our courses enabled them to get closer insight into the field research. Altogether 10 half-day and 7 whole-day excursions were organised, and additionally each year also a tourist visit to the world famous Postojna cave was possible. Parallel with the discussion about scientific basics of karst, different approaches of their implementation in praxis were presented in the field. Early-stage researchers were additionally encouraged to present and discuss the results of their research work. It was possible to publish short papers on CDs or scientific articles in a karstological journal Acta carsologica. An important result of the SMART-KARST project are new bonds between researchers of different backgrounds and from various parts of the world, which are a good foundation for further cooperation on European and also world level.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union