<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The article examines issues of local water resources using Bela Krajina as an example - a rural, karst landscape in south-eastern Slovenia. In the field, we made an inventory of 261 different water resources, analysing their past and current use along with their role in the life of the local population and assessing their hydrogeological sensitivity and hydroecological threat they face. With the introduction of distributed water systems, water resources lost their traditional importance in terms of water supply, with local population’s reliance on and knowledge about them fading. Nevertheless, certain local communities have recently recognized their natural and cultural value, as well as their importance to ecosystems, which is reflected in initiatives for the preservation, protection and restoration of individual water resources. Most of Bela Krajina’s water resources are very sensitive to pollution due to the karst surface, however the actual hydroecological threat they face from human activities in their catchments is relatively low.</p></abstract>

The article examines issues of local water resources using Bela Krajina as an example - a rural, karst landscape in south-eastern Slovenia. In the field, we made an inventory of 261 different water resources, analysing their past and current use along with their role in the life of the local population and assessing their hydrogeological sensitivity and hydroecological threat they face. With the introduction of distributed water systems, water resources lost their traditional importance in terms of water supply, with local population’s reliance on and knowledge about them fading. Nevertheless, certain local communities have recently recognized their natural and cultural value, as well as their importance to ecosystems, which is reflected in initiatives for the preservation, protection and restoration of individual water resources. Most of Bela Krajina’s water resources are very sensitive to pollution due to the karst surface, however the actual hydroecological threat they face from human activities in their catchments is relatively low.

The changing role of local water resources over time (The case of Slovenian rural region Bela krajina)

Teaching assistant, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana,

Ass. Prof., Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana,

Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana,

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The article examines issues of local water resources using Bela Krajina as an example - a rural, karst landscape in south-eastern Slovenia. In the field, we...

The changing role of local water resources over time (The case of Slovenian rural region Bela krajina)

Article Category: Research articles

Published Online: Apr 06, 2017

Page range: 177 - 193

Received: Aug 08, 2016

Accepted: Nov 15, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0011

Keywords
water resources, hydrogeological sensitivity, hydroecological threat, vulnerability of water resources, local knowledge, Dinaric karst, Slovenia, Bela Krajina

© by Dr. Trobec

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The changing role of local water resources over time (The case of Slovenian rural region Bela krajina)

Article Category: Research articles

Published Online: Apr 06, 2017

Page range: 177 - 193

Received: Aug 08, 2016

Accepted: Nov 15, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0011

Keywordswater resources, hydrogeological sensitivity, hydroecological threat, vulnerability of water resources, local knowledge, Dinaric karst, Slovenia, Bela Krajina

© by Dr. Trobec

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
water resources, hydrogeological sensitivity, hydroecological threat, vulnerability of water resources, local knowledge, Dinaric karst, Slovenia, Bela Krajina