THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE
and impact of tourism on karst environment
of selected case-studies

 PREFACE
   Conservation of nature is a discipline/branch which assesses human actions in natural environment - the nature from natural-scinetific points of view. The discipline warns upon human impact on the nature and tries to prevent exterminating actions using legal instrumets.
   Basic aim of the branch is conservation of natural phenomena. Authors in some theoretical starting-points of the branch mention also conservation of the natural processes, but humans could not essentialy impact on the majority of the processes.
   The discipline is linked with education of all generations or sharing of consiousness about the conseravtion sense in the broadest public. The aims of the branch could be a bit easer reached, because politicians decide to retreat controversial interferences/exterminating actions in natural environment, because of strict wide pressure of the widest public. In the public children, youth, students, educators and teachers of all degrees are very considerable with recognition of natural lawfulness and characteristics at codecision-making about conservation of nature. The branch could be linked with that economic subjects where their income is dependant on sustainable development. Such contacts share knowledge and consiousness about the conseravtion sense.
   Sustainable behaviour and development bring metaphisical wealth and resources for longterm survival.
   Without theoretical groundwork no conservational exertions and decisions against interferences in nature could not be accepted, but professional conservators of nature are wery busy with "firebreaking", so there is a lack of time for preparation of the scientific groundworks. Preparation of the groundwork requires broad knowledge from natural and social sciences, patience for study and longterm experiences from the conservational work.
   Scientific processing of theoretical approach to the conservation of nature in the thesis seems to be adequate conclusion of the postgrade study in the School of Environmental Sciences of the Nova Gorica Polytechnic.

 THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE
  THEORETICAL APPROACH TO THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE
   HYPOTHESIS
   Knowledge and comprehension of natural processes and phenomena among population of Republika Slovenija are evermore lower, because enforcement of urban way of life in countryside of Slovenija is intensive. Contacts with nature and environment are weaker, although environmental consciousness and need for environmental protection and conservation of nature are simultaneously strengthen. From my personal experiences it is confirmed that pupils and students learn little and/or are taught up insufficiently about conservation of nature and natural heritage in schooling process and through education in Slovenija. It is supposed that lowly knowledge about conservation of nature among teachers of all grades is one of main reasons for insufficient consciousness about meaning of this branch. Young and even some experienced specialists for the conservation of nature and natural heritage would be unconscious about holism of the branch, if they would be caught by traps of introductions and/or suppositions about economical and hypothetical benefits in natural and conatural environment as consequences of proposed human activities/impacts in the natural environment. Fatal consequences of proposed activities generally could not be known in advance, but then, when it is to late for conservation of the phenomena.
   Theory of conservation of nature based on recognitions of natural and social sciences contributes to comprehension and development of the branch.
   It is supposed -:
 - deficiency of theoretical starting-points is one of elementary reasons for poor knowledge about conservation of nature in broad public, even one of key reasons for weak knowledge about sense of conservation of nature and natural heritage among teachers and professors;
 - deficiency of theoretical starting-points is one of reasons for poor knowledge about conservation of nature among politicians, decision-makers and other planners of the development of Slovene society;
 - assessment of human threats to natural/conatural environment, natural phenomena and proceses by asking for estimations/opinions of professors and natural scientists is not enough. The assessments needed theoretical support of the branch.

 THEORY OF CONSERVATION OF NATURE
   Basical frame of the thesis will be preparation of complex theoretical contribution about aims and sense of conseravation of nature and starting-points for evaluation of natural phenomena from the the conservational point of view. Starting point will be onthology and aksiology. Theoretical approcah will be continued and concluded by recognitions of natural sciences, largely from phisical geography and ecology.    Theoretical dimensions of the conservation of nature will be studied from:
 - scientific literature with theoretical starting-points;
 - theory of conservation of nature in meterials of the governmental bodies of Republic of Slovenija;
 - scientific review and commentary of program for conservation of nature in Slovenija, which is part of National program of environmental policy and was accepted by the Slovene parliament at 16^th od September, 1999 (Ur. list RS št. 83/99);
 - strategy for conservation of biodiversity in Slovenija;
 - theoretical starting-points for working of Slovene associations for conservation of nature;
 - legislations about conservation of nature in European Union and Republic of Slovenija;
 - discourses with Slovene and foreign scientists and specialists for conservation of nature;
 - own experiences of work and studies in the domain of conservation of nature after the year 1979.

 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON KARST ENVIRONMENT
 OF SELECTED CASE-STUDIES
   Impact of tourism on karst environment will be presented by a geoecological/ecosystematical model of kras as proper study tool:
 - for enlightening of the theoretical aproach to conservation of nature and
 - to show interlacement of natural processes, phenomena and effects of human actions in protected natural and conatural environment.
   Natural and connatural environment of kras enables relative easy access of man into subterranean world. Rare and sensitive or stabile ecosystems developed at passages from surface to the underground and in subterranean world and one might observe directly parts or nearly integral ecosystems.
   Geographical/ geological/ ecological/ ecosystematical modelling of kras is interesting, because with relatively simple statical models we could present surface, transitive and underground natural processes and phenomena.
   Different computer programs on medium capacity personal computer enable enough exact processing of results of measurements, adequate introducing of phenomena and workmanship of models.
   In proposed thesis use of geographical information system integrated with sensors for measurements of mentioned ecological elements, videocameras, radio receivers and transmitters for remote sensing will not be possible. Author will collect data in locations at average and extreme situations and conditions in all seasons and compare results with the data from public, environmental institutions of Slovenija and from any case study and project, prepared by Slovene and foreign researchrs.
   Humans are able to observe and to explaian karst environment in the surface, at passages from surface to the underground and in subterranean world without transforming the phenomena by diging of trenches and shafts, because natural processes have already formed karst caverns, which enables to humans relative easy access. At passages from surface to the underground and inside karst caverns rare and sensitive or stabile ecosystems developed. One might observe parts or nearly integral ecosystems.
   Basic ecological element of passages from surface to the underground is deficiency of sunlight, but in the karst caverns there is no sunlight, what require specific adaptation of zoological and rare botanical species to this environment. In moderate latitude (where lies Slovenija) are the important elements also high humid air in the underground, low daily and annual changing of temperature, periodical and permanently flooded or even frozen karst caverns, so aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems could be found.
   Basis of geoecological model will be in both cases inventarisation of natural phenomena and big scale maps. In the first one is map prepared in the scale 1:10.000 (--> appendix, map 1) and in the second case in the scale 1:5.000 (--> appendix, map 2) and will be enalged depending to sizes of the phenomena. Groundplans will be enlagred in the scale up to 1:2500. Characteristical cross sections based on maps and detailed survey of the pnenomena will be enlagred depending of their sizes in bigger scales (1:1000-1:100).
   Basic groundplans and cross sections will enable elaboration of datailed inventory of natural phenomena, because in big scales (1:100-1:5000) situations and positions of the phenomana in nature and in the model could be displayed very precisly (amongst 8.5 milimeters and 4.2 decimeters). Situation and position could be very important and a meter accuracy would not suffice demands. Measurements of situations, positions and dimensions of phenomena in the nature is not easy, there are problems with high accuracy, because of various formations with numerous bulges and depressions, inclinations ..., 10 % accuracy is good estimation.
   It is estimated that I would need for measurements, analysis and comparison at least a year (spring, summer, autumn and winter).
   Essential part of the model will represent enlightening of the theoretical aproach from previous chapters of the thesis with characteristics and exceptions with the selected case studies of karst phenomena.

 SELECTED CASE-STUDIES
   Natural variations of the Earth climate should be perceived on contacts and transitions, whith direct contacts of huge air masses, for example Slovenija is transition area for Euro-Asinan continetal and subtropical Mediteranean climates, which are modified by the Alps and Dinaric mountains.
   In the middle elevation of the Dinaric mountains special ecosystems developed, especialy in karst depressions. Extreme microclimatic situation is the main reason for development and subsistence of the ecosystems. Research of relationships among geomorphological phenomena, fito-cenosis, zoo-cenosis and human influences will be interesting.
   Man was essentialy influnced remote parts of the Earth in last centuries, also karst underworld of the case-studies in Paradana above Golaki, the highest area of the Trnovski gozd massif and at the Škocjanski Kras, which lies in close hinterland of upper Adriatc, along milleniums important routes between the Central Europe and the Adriatic sea.
   Variations in small border ecosystems of the Paradana and the Škocjan Kras should show us eventual variations of the Planet scale, for example with explanation of effects of extreme weather phenomena in ecosystematic changes and with comparision of average conditions. This variations would be results of
 * warming up of the Earth atmosphere, as consequence of fast increasing of geen-house gases or
 * regular natural variations of amounts of precipitations and related temperatures.
   Observations and explanations of melting of the Paradana subterranean glacier and water relations in the the Škocjan cave system would be able with comparision of data from measurements of temperature, humidity, direction velocity of air flow and sampling of botanical and zoological species show reasons for the variations and I will try to answer:
 - how far in the karst underground direct and undirect surface influences effected the ecosystem;
 - how mentioned relations influence development, subsistence vulnerability of the ecosystems and
 - meaning of natural variations and extremes in the aims of the conservation of nature.
   In the thesis I will only assign methods for further research as scientificaly prove or refuse the upper hypothesis. There is enough matter for one or even more PhD disertations in the disertations.

NARAVNI REZERVAT PARADANA
   The Paradana Nature Reserve is good preserved unit of natural heritage. Nevertheless periodical high number (some thousands a year) of visitors at Velika ledena jama in last decades, in the end of 19^th century very intensive seven decades long extraction of ice started, but there it is possible to find connatural and pure natural environmental elements in the area.
   Foresters were in the forest-economical unit of Predmeja excluded wood production in division number 108 with an area of 17.59 hectares and with this proclaimed and named forestry reserve Lepo brdo (D. Mlinšek, 1980: 67). Community of Nova Gorica was after the proposal of Zavod za varstvo naravne in kulturne dediščine Gorica v Novi Gorici in the year 1985 plocalimed by the decree titled Odlok o razglasitvi kulturnih in zgodovinskih spomenikov ter naravnih znamenitosti na območju občine Nova Gorica (Uradno glasilo št.: 8/28. avgust 1985, Nova Gorica) the division also botancal rezerve and natural monuments Ledeniško kraško globel (glaciokarst depression) and Velika and Mala Ledena jama (Big and Small Ice Cave) in the reserve.
   The reserve is overgrown mostly with fir-beech dinaric forest (Abieti - Fagetum dinaricum), as climax association of whole Visoki kras of Slovenija. The most important point of interest of the reserve are temperature and vegetation inversions (locus classicus of the vegetation inversion, first described in 1906 by V. M. Beck). At an altitude difference of a hundred meters the following belts occur: spruce (Piceetum subalpinum dinaricum), willow-tree (Salicetum appendiculatae), dwarf-trees (Pinetum mugi, but this shrub is not present in the reserve) and mountainous meadows or alpine herbage, mosses and lichen near snow and permanent ice field in the entrance parts of the cave system. Edaphic fauna has adapted up to the conditions in the belts. Oribatide (Oppia clavigera), which was found in the mosses in the cave entrance is curiosity. This small animal lives in tundras of polar belt (K. Tarman, 1992: 93-94).
   The reserve represents an extremely rich unit of natural heritage, one which could be classified as rare even on a universal scale. It is exceptional also because of the intermingling of superficial and underground karst phenomena with the remains of glacial activity.
   From human ecology, ethnology and geography of tourism is important that at the end of 19^th in the first half of the 20^th century the ice from the reserve was exported even to Egypt.

 ŠKOCJANSKI KRAS
   The Kras of the Škocjan village was inscribed in The World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1986, because of exceptional superficial and underground karst phenomena, which are related with karst and fluvial processes of Velka voda - Reka river. The Reka sinks first time on contact of Eocene flysch and Paleocene limestones near the Vreme village, above the Škoflje village the river entered karst canyon, sinks again into Škocjanska jama, spring into the Mala dolina, sinks into short cave Miklov skedenj, with scenic waterfall drops into lake of Velika dolina, from the lake it flows to evorsion channel, which is in the end widened to the ponor hall, where the Reka disappears from the surface into Šumeča jama (rumbling cave), the main 1.5 km long cave of the The Škocjan cave system. Finally the Velka voda - Reka sinks in the syphon of Marchesetti lake, which was dived through and cave divers found new gallleries, few years ago.
   From natural history and conservation of nature are the most important geological, karst and other geomorphological phenomena, temperature inversion in chasm of Mala and Velika dolina, cave microclimate, numerous botanical and zoological endangered, relic and endemic species.
   In Mala and Velika dolina one can see numerous Centraleuropean, EvMediterranean, SubMediterranean, Illiric and Alpine botanical species. Just few meters close each other are growing together EvMediterranean fir Venus hair (Adiantum capillus veneris L.), and high Alpine species (Primula auricula L.).
   Endemic (Campanula justiniana Witasek) is endangerd in European scale (Dosier, 1985: 5a). Here are growing sites of nine species of Slovene Red book endangered botanical species. Curiosity is (Orobanche hedere Duby), which has been found in Slovenija only in Velika dolina.
   Zoologicaly is this microregion of Kras important, as sites of (Microtus nivalis), winter colonies of bats, and bird species (Columba livia) and (Trichodroma muraria).
   From arheological, historical, ethnological, human ecological and geography of tourism points of views is important, that humans lived in the cave system about 10.000 years. Arheological findings confirm permanent presence of man in inflowing/entrance part of the system between stone ages (mesolithic) and late Roman times (Dosier, 1985: 5b). Man has also used the system in differnt ways later on. The system is curiosity from natural and cultural-historical points of view and it is also a source of money, nowadays. Some parts of the system are used as a show cave, which was arrangeed about 180 years ago.

 CONCLUSION:
   Fundamental scientific contribution of the thesis will be in the theoretical aproach to conservation of nature.
   Study of conservation of nature and impact of tourism on karst environment of selected case-studies supported by geoecological/ecosystematical model of kras will bring on the case-studies from two types of Dinaric kras new results of research, which would be instrumental in the branch, dealing with conservation of nature. Relevant textbooks for seminars and exploration of pupils and students about kras would be prepared on the base of the thesis for education of teachers of all grades about sense of conservation of nature, kras and natural heritage in general. In economy, mainly at planning of touristic development of Lokve with surroundings and Škocjanski Kras would recognitions from the dissertation serve planners and investors, which would realize purports of investment into tourism on protected areas and easier perceive limitations, which are set up before them from the branch.
   New scientific recognitions of this work will base on the elements, which apply on the whole Earth, but vary interdependently to physical-geographical relations. Otherwise prediction about universality of new recognitions in dissertation is risky, but I think, that from literature and other data will be possible to discover enough new scientific results. Groundwork for the results will be measurements of data on surface and in underworld of kras and in transition areas between the surface and underground, sampling in natural environment, asking of public by questionaries, analytical and synthetical work, supported by computer tools.

 SOURCES AND LITERTURE
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   M. Gorkič, D. Rojšek, M. Sušnik, 1988, Naravna dediščina v občini Ajdovščina; naravne in kulturne dediščine Gorica v Novi Gorici, Nova Gorica. tipkopis v arhivu - typwriting in archives of Zavoda za varstvo naravne in kulturne dediščine Gorica v Novi Gorici, sedaj/now Zavoda Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave, Območna enota Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica.
   A., Kranjc, 1992; Pregled raziskav Škocjanskih jam 1986-92, (Poročilo za Komisijo za UNESCO RS), Postojna; tipkopis v arhivu IZRK.
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   D., Rojšek, 1992-1; The Natural Features of Posočje, str./pp 1-211, Ljubljana.
   D., Rojšek, 1992-3; Geographical Informatin Station Škocjan, in Geografski vestnik, vol.: 64, str./pp 202-203, Ljubljana.
   D., Rojšek, 1993-2; The Kras region of Slovenia - an international park ?, in Geological and Landscape Conservation and in Brochure of Abstracts of the Malvern Conference, London and Great Malvern, Geological Society of London and Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
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   D., Rojšek, 1996; Conservation of karren landforms in Slovenija, J. J. Fornos, A. Gines (eds) Karren Landforms, str./pp 433-441, Palma de Mallorca, Universitat de les Illes Balears.
   D., Rojšek, 2002; Inventarisation of Natural Neritage, enlighten by geoecological model of kras/karst, v/in F., Carrasco, J. J., Durán and B., Andreo ur/Eds, Karst and Environment, zbor. 2. geol. simp./Proc. of the 2^nd geol. symp. Cueva de Nerja, str./pp 267-272, Nerja-Malaga, Instituto de Investigación pri/at Fundación Cueva de Nerja
   K., Tarman, 1992; Osnove ekologije in ekologija živali, str./pp 1-547, Ljubljana, Državna založba Slovenije.
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