ABSTRACT
The Dinaric region is a karst holotype with its north west margin in the Crasso area around Trieste in Italy, and south west margin in Albania. There are more than 150 poljes, and in certain areas the density of the dolines can reach 150/km2. Not only was the term karst born in the area, but Jovan Cvijic´ and his followers founded here a new scientific discipline – karstology, at the end of the nineteenth century. The Dinaric region is by far the richest in all of Europe: there are more than 100 springs with a minimum discharge over 500 l/s. However, there are numerous problems for groundwater sustainable utilisation and protection from pollution. The rise of several new sovereign states from what was once Yugoslavia has established complex transboundary inter-linkages that impact water use and water sharing for domestic supply, power generation, and agriculture. DIKTAS (Protection and Sustainable Use of the Dinaric Karst Transboundary Aquifer System) is a GEF project implemented by UNDP and UNESCO’s IHP. Its mandate is to improve understanding of shared water resources and to facilitate their equitable and sustainable utilisation, including the protection of dependent ecosystems.
