On the implementation of environmental indices in karst

Peculiarity of karst environment, related to a number of specific geologic and hydrologic features, makes it a unique setting on Earth, characterized by high fragility and vulnerable to many geo-hazards, and to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances as well, including contamination problems. Even though its uniqueness is well recognized since a long time, only in recent years efforts have been made to develop approaches and methods specifically dedicated to karst environment. The use of approaches dedicated to karst represents a mandatory step in the management of karst terranes. It contributes to highlight to stakeholders, land managers and people living in karst the fragility of such environment, and the need to safeguard it and the natural resources therein contained, first and foremost the groundwaters. In this article we review the main indices proposed in the literature during the last 10 years, and discuss them, taking into account the different scales of application (national, regional, protected karst area, show cave(s), single cave, etc.), their practical implementation, and the related problems and difficulties

Human Disturbance of Karst Environments

Karst environments have been impacted by human activity for thousands of years, ever since people started living in caves for shelter, needing building supplies and water. As human population has increased, so has its disturbance of the karst landscape. Quarrying, pollution, groundwater extraction, construction, and agriculture are the major culprits for disturbing both surface and subsurface karst. Ecosystems in this type of environment have been shown to be quite vulnerable to human activities. Methods to quantify this disturbance, such as the karst disturbance index, have been created to help resource managers formulate approaches to reduce this anthropogenic impact. In addition, models to measure karst vulnerability, in particular karst aquifers, have grown in number over the last two decades. When measuring human disturbance, it is important to consider matters of time and scale, as both will influence how and what data is collected

Anticipating and managing engineering problems in the complex karst environment

Karst environments are characterized by distinctive landforms and a peculiar hydrologic behavior dominated by subsurface drainage. Karst systems can be extremely complex, heterogeneous, and unpredictable due to the wide range of geological and hydrological controlling factors. The great variability results in serious problems for engineers, and in difficulties to characterize the karstified rock masses, and in designing the engineering works to be performed. The design and development of engineering projects in karst environments require specific approaches aimed at minimizing the detrimental effects of hazardous processes and environmental problems. Further, karst aquifers (that provide approximately 20–25 % of the world’s drinking water) are extremely vulnerable to pollution, due to the direct connection between the surface and the subsurface drainage, the rapidity of the water flow in conduit networks, and the very low depuration capability. Sinkholes are the main source of engineering problems in karst environments, and may cause severe damage in any human structure. The strategies and solutions that may be applied to mitigate sinkhole problems are highly variable and largely depend on the kind of engineering structure, the karst setting, and the typology and size of the sinkholes. A sound geological model, properly considering the peculiarities of karst and its interactions with the human environment, is essential for the design of cost-effective and successful risk reduction programs. Due to the unique direct interaction between surface and subsurface environments, and the frequent ground instability problems related to underground karstification, management of karst environments is a very delicate matter. Disregarding such circumstances in land-use planning and development inevitably results in severe problems with high economic impacts. Karst environments require specific investigation methods in order to properly manage and safeguard the sensitive geo-ecosystems and natural resources associated with the