ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF KARST TERRITORIES: PROBLEMS AND OPEN QUESTIONS

Complexity of karst environments make them highly vulnerable to a number of human impacts, being endangered particularly by activities such as quarrying, excessive groundwater withdrawal, land use changes. At the same time, many other actions may produce negative consequences on natural karst ecosystems, which eventually suffer a high disturbance from man’s activities. Even efforts to exploit the karst resources could result in negative effects, as repeatedly demonstrated by opening of show caves, engineering works in karst, occurrence of sinkholes, etc...

Lack of appropriate legislation for protection and conservation of karst is frequently a further issue: in many countries, as a matter of fact, no specific codes and rules exist, whilst in some others the existing laws are seldom effective, due to a number of reasons. Overall, karst requires a specific approach to limit the negative effects of human activities on its valuable natural resources, and to allow sustainable development. But a very important question arises: what is sustainable, and what is not, in karst? Answering this question is a very delicate matter, and requires a good knowledge of the geology, geomorphology and hydrology of karst territories. Such a knowledge cannot disregard the information deriving from direct surveys, that is caving activities, which provide the opportunity to have a direct glance within karst, and collect unvaluable information and data.

Since management of karst environments is a very delicate matter in both developed and developing countries worldwide, this article aims at stimulating the discussion within the session, providing a contribution to the understanding of how to deal with karst hazards and human impacts on karst landscapes through experiences carried out worldwide (in Italy, Cuba, Albania, and the United States of America).