A good knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of karst is a precondition for the rational planning of life on it. We try to organize the knowledge to make it as useful as possible for planners. We are involved in individual projects related to the regional planning, water supply systems, the construction of transportation infrastructure, the closure of landfills in karst areas, the collection of data on karst caves and their protection, karst ecology and determining the extent of human influence on the karst underground. A new book series Karstology and development challenges on karst was designed to present the results of completed and new projects to a broader public.The first book with the subtitle Water contains selected directly applicable research studies on karst waters, their characteristics, endangerment, and protection. It is composed of ten chapters, which can be grouped into three main themes. In the introduction the importance, characteristics and vulnerability of karst aquifers are presented,then various case studies of pollution and endangerment are described (traffic, landfills, military objects, flooding), and at the end some guidelines for the protection of karst water sources are summarized. The book is a bilingual publication in Slovene and English. It is aimed at a broad circle of users, researchers, students and planners.

This book focuses on the opening and exploration of more than 350 previously undiscovered caves of the Slovenian Karst, discovered during motorway construction work. The summarizes the planning of traffic roads and presents the new findings obtained during construction, as well as studies on newly-discovered karst phenomena and karst waters and their protection. Earthmoving work during construction has revealed a cross-section of the surface of the Classical Karst, covered karst with famous underground stone forests and unique karst in breccia. Research conducted in these caves has yielded a number of new findings on how the karst surface and underground were formed, on the flow of water through karst aquifers, and on the evolution of karst on various types of rock and under various conditions. The work was written by researchers from the ZRC SAZU Karst Research Institute and the Institute of Geology AS CR. The reader will benefit from the authors’ collaboration with planners and builders, which offers valuable insights for the planning and execution of their own activities in karst regions.

Karst aquifers are important sources of drinking water worldwide. This volume presents a discussion of the current state of knowledge on karst science, advances in karst mapping and karst aquifer monitoring technologies, case studies of karst aquifer assessment, and regulatory perspectives on land use and water management in karst environments. It offers valuable reference material for researchers involved in karst science and environmental studies, as well as a guide for experts at governmental agencies, scientists, engineers and other professionals involved in karst aquifer protection and the design of land and water management systems in karst areas around the globe.

This practical training guidebook makes an important contribution to karst hydrogeology. It presents supporting material for academic courses worldwide that include this and similar topics. It is an excellent sourcebook for students and other attendees of the International Karst School: Characterization and Engineering of Karst Aquifers, which opened in Trebinje, Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2014 and which will be organized every year in early summer. As opposed to more theoretical works, this is a catalog of possible engineering interventions in karst and their implications. Although the majority of readers will be professionals with geology/hydrogeology backgrounds, the language is not purely technical making it accessible to a wider audience. This means that the methodology, case studies and experiences presented will also benefit water managers working in karst environments.

A proposed railway on the 5th European Railway Corridor (Venice-Kiev) between the northern Adriatic ports of Koper (Slovenia) and Trieste (Italy) and the interior of Slovenia required extensive karstological studies and planning. This book contains the knowledge gained from these studies as well as further information on the regional karst surface and underground, the karst hydrogeology and the specific caves of the Beka-Ocizla cave system.

V drugi knjigi serije Krasoslovje v razvojnih izzivih na krasu so zbrani izsledki, pridobljeni pri načrtovanju in gradnji avtocest na krasu. Več kot 350 novih jam se je odprlo v zadnjem valu gradnje. Sledijo študije o urejanju kraških pojavov za turizem in njihovem upravljanju. Izbrali smo tudi študije o kraški ekologiji, pri katerih smo si pomagali z biološkimi in mikrobiološkimi raziskavami. Na koncu pa je povzetek vsega, kar moramo upoštevati pri načrtovanju različnih posegov na krasu.

This book presents the latest advances in karstology by researchers at the ZRC SAZU Karst Research Institute, Slovenia – home of Classical Karst. It features interdisciplinary investigations carried out on the karst surface, subsurface, caves, and associated waters. It covers various topics, such as analysis of karst processes, including the mineralogical and lithological characteristics of sediments and carbonate rocks; structural geological mapping; detecting the old traces of paleokarst; the formation of karst surfaces in a variety of types of rock and conditions; and the evolution of karst, which can aid in dating sediments, and in tracing aquifers using artificial and natural tracers. In addition, the book provides detailed information on the use and development of various research methods, ranging from comprehensive field research, long-term measurements, and laboratory analyses to computer and laboratory modeling. Integrating karst geology, geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, speleobiology, and microbiology research, these methods provide readers with a far deeper understanding of karst terrains.