The doctoral study programme Karstology is intended for candidates who have completed the previous study programme leading to a Bachelor’s degree or a second-level study programme in various fields and wish to gain knowledge on karst to become karst researchers or karst managers. The programme offers a broad-based insight into karstology (e.g. geological, surface and underground, hydrological and ecological features) on the one hand and highly-focused orientation on the other, depending on the students’ requirements (e.g. karst waters, use and protection). The programme places great emphasis on small number of compulsory subjects and a wide range of optional subject. The study also gives great stress to autonomous research work. Last year three students finished the programme with doctor thesis.
D.10 Educational activities
We are involved in individual projects related to the development and protection of the natural and cultural heritage of karst areas, regional planning, water supply systems and protection of water resources, the construction of transportation infrastructure and water treatment plants, the collection of data on karst caves and their protection, karst ecology and determining the extent of human influence on the karst underground, and planning and monitoring the exploitation of karst phenomena for tourism. In this way out basic knowledge about karst is successfully applied for solving the acute problems in the process of development of karst regions.
F.17 Transfer of existing technologies, know-how, methods and procedures into practice
COBISS.SI-ID: 33889581We organised school between 18th and 23rd June in Postojna. Work of the school was in the form of invited lectures from different fields of karst sciences, selected lectures of participants poster presentations an half or whole day fieldtrips. 140 people attended to the School they come from 30 different countries and it was the largest yearly meating of karstologists. School was organized by workers of Karst Research Institute with help of professional organizations: Speleological Association of Slovenia, International Speleological Union and with a support of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO and Ministry for Education and Science and Sport.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
In 2012 two issues of Acta Carsologica Volume 41 were published. These include 21 original scientific papers, two letters and several reports on 309 pages. 61 authors from 15 countries contributed to the volume. Among other bibliographic bases the journal is indexed by Thomson-Reuters SCI-Expanded (IF 0.727). The content is topically and geographically very diverse. Field cases from Europe, Asia, and Americas are presented. By publishing the works leading karst experts and works on Slovene karst, the journal is substantially contributing to the leading role of Slovene karstology.
C.05 Editorial board of a national magazine
COBISS.SI-ID: 6427138We collect documentation about all 10,260 known and documented caves. Cave registry consists of texts, maps and photographs. Caves are registered on the base of unique registry number and name. New entries in 2012 were made on the base of new documents received in the Cave registry. Part of the data was included in digital data base which is the base for state cave identification. This data base was sent to Ministry for Environment. In the year 2012 number of known caves increased for 302 and in the data base 1.023 changes or corrections was made.
F.16 Improvements to an existing information system/databases