Cave and karst landforms are distributed widely around the world. They have many values and are an integral component of the world's biodiversity. Some are habitats for a wide range of endemic species of flora and fauna, while others house rare and endangered species. Still others are the sources of rare minerals and some are important for resources such as groundwater, while some are venerated as sites of religious, spiritual and cultural importance. Many such landforms encompass one or many of these values. As special places, cave and karst landforms require special management. This small booklet has been prepared as a brief guide for planners, managers and users of cave and karst estates and provides general information and practical guidelines for the management of cave and karst ecosystems.

"Nearly 25% of the world's population lives in karst areas -- landscapes that are characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage. Living with Karst, the 4th booklet in the AGI Environmental Awareness Series, vividly illustrates what karst is and why these resource-rich areas are important. The booklet also discusses karst-related environmental and engineering concerns, guidelines for living with karst, and sources of additional information."--Provided by publisher.

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.

The present publication on karst hydrology and physical speleology combines two subjects which have up to now been treated separately. The two fields of knowledge have gone their separate ways, less as a result of differences in subject matter than of varying approaches. The focal point in karst hydrology lies in the description of subter ranean water with its physical and chemical properties, whereas physical speleology de scribes subterranean cavities with their contents (air, water, and sediments), which gen erally have been created by water. Such cavities can be correctly interpreted only by means of a knowledge of karst hydrology, yet they in turn yield indications of the pro perties of karst water. Karst hydrology and physical speleology are thus two aspects of the subterranean karst phenomenon and should be viewed congruently. This book addresses geologists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, geographers, and karstologists, above all speleologists, as well as all friends of caves, especially the cavers among them. Its contents must therefore appeal to two groups: on one hand to the academically trained, whether university faculty, graduates, or students, who as a rule have the necessary basic knowledge to be able to understand the theoretical com ments; on the other hand to the laymen, who have fust-hand experience from their own observations in caves, but who often do not dispose over the scientific foundation necessary for an understanding of the phenomena. Therefore occasionally more attention will be given to problems of a simpler nature and to questions of technical terminology.

The Malaga Symposia Series provides an international forum for scientific debate on the progress made in research into karst environments. The 2010 meeting of the 4th International ISKA presents 80 papers in four key areas: karst hydrogeology and investigations, karst landscape and ecosystems, human interaction with karst environments, and engineering geology in karst areas. This book will be a useful edition to the libraries of consultants, scientists, lecturers, and policy makers concerned with the special issues of karst terrains.