Poročila 
AN ACCOUNT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM MAN ON KARST 
At the tirne from September 23 to 25, 1993 at Postojna the Intemational Symposium 
Man on Karst was held, organized within the Intemational Geographical Union, Commis-
sion on Environmental Changes and Conservation in Karst Areas by the Karst Research 
Institute ZRC SAZU. The meeting was dedicated to the 70th anniversary ofthe Academi-
cian Prof. Dr. Ivan Gams who was at that occasion honoured by the honorary membership 
ofthe Czech's Speleological Union. 
The participants were greeted by the minister for Science and Technology, Dr. R. Bohinc, 
by the secretary general of the Slov ene Academy of Sciences and Arts Acad. Prof. Dr. M. 
Drovenik, by the maire of Postojna, Mr. I. Bratina, by the representative ofthe Association 
of the Geographic Societies of Slovenia, Prof. Dr. A. Čeme, and by the representatives of 
the intemational organizations, Prof. Dr. P. Forti, the UIS president and Dr. P. Bosak, secre-
tary ofthe UIS, by Prof. Dr. Ugo Sauro, the president ofthe Commission on the Environ-
mental Changes and Conservation in Karst Areas at the Intemational Geographical Union. 
The Symposium was attended by 69 participants who delivered 50 papers. The intro-
ductory lecture of P. Habič presented the important part played by the man celebrating his 
jubilee for the progress of the karstology in this century and M. Panoš presented the karstology 
as a joint system of sciences on karst. 
After the opening part and the plenary lectures the work was organized within two 
sections. In the section Karst as a Natural Process 24 communications were delivered. 
The lectures dealt with the conditions of the sedimentation of some carbonate rocks, 
tectonics and its influence on formation of the karst aquifers. Severa! papers treated 
hydrogeological topics, development ofparticular hydrogeological areas and chemical and 
isotopic composition ofthe karst waters. 
Some papers dealt with geomorphological formation ofthe surface on karst and devel-
opment of the soil on karst. Severa! lecturers spoke about the development of the karst 
underground, distribution of caves and speleomorphology, about the cave minerals and 
speleoclimatology. 
In the section Man and Karst 26 lectures were delivered. According to the subjects they 
may be divided into some groups. 
The contributions about the agrarian use ofthe karst surface mostly presented the types 
ofthe land use from the lithological differences point ofview and soil origin or hydrotechnical 
works on karst. The intensive and unsuitable land use in past provoked the degradation of 
the karst surface. 
Similar themes were treated by the papers involved in the use of mountainous regions 
for touristic purposes, ski ressorts in particular. The introduction of intensive activities may 
severly threaten the water supply functions ofthese, frequently the only scarcely inhabited, 
areas in Europe. 
Severa! papers presented the work at the preparati on of the professional bases for the 
legislation which should protect the vulnerable karst areas. They are protected within the 
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various landscape parks but the protection measures confront with the interests ofthe peo-
ple living there, their traditional spatial use or with the interests ofthe touristic economy. 
There were the papers delivered treating the polluted karst groundwater and its 
autopurification capacity, the determination ofthe protection zones ofparticular karst springs 
and the underground water tracing. 
Several papers treated the use of caves and human impact on the underground. The last 
effect may be traced into the prehistory as the caves served as human dwellings thousands 
years ago and bones, the remains ofthe paleolithic hunters' preys, are found in them. The 
influence ofthe touristic visits on the changes ofthe cave climate were presented as well as 
the devastation of the caves due to ill-treatment. The use of caves for mass graves in our 
halfpast history was presented too. 
During the symposium three excursions were organized. The first one to the Classical 
Karst from Vrhnika to Pivka, the second one to Karst between Pivka basin and the springs 
at Osp. The third excursion was in the Postojnska jama cave system. 
During the Symposium the Commission for the Environmental Changes and Conserva-
tion in Karst Areas at the Intemational Geographical Union and the Bureau oflntemational 
Union of the Speleology have held two meetings. 
Andrej Mihevc 
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