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National Park Plitvice Lakes – Croatia UNESCO World Heritage "How to protect water resources basic natural phenomena"

The National park Plitvice Lakes has been placed in the central part of Croatia in zhe region of Lika, which has central position in Dinaric karst. Comprise from 16 lakes separated with tufa barriers originated by water activity throughout Quartenary, the youngest geologic period. Discharge area of Plitvice lakes has been placed on the northern side of karstified carbonate massif of Lika region and belongs to the Danube catchment area. From the lakes rises the river of Korana, which by Karlovac flow into the river Kupa, tributary of Sava river. The altitude between discharge zone and start of Korana river is about 150 m, however the gradient has been reduced by lakes and numerous water falls between lakes. Springs are formed on the geologic border between high permeable karstified carbonate masiff and poor permeable dolomites of Triasic ages, which present the barrier. Upper lakes including the largest Kozjak have been formed on barrier, and lower after transfer of water across the barrier in high permeable limestone of Upper Cretaceous ages. Water regime through upper lakes is relatively stabile, but after the fault between barrier and permeable geologic structures most probably begins losses from the water system. In lower lakes have existed for sure losses from the lakes towards karst underground. Conformation is lower quantity of water in the bed of Korana river, which downstream in summer dry periods completely dries up. In such high vulnerable natural condition there are very active tourist activity – visitors, hotels, restaurants, traffic etc, which are generally not appropriate located and present continual danger for the environment and specially for water system, basic natural phenomena of the National park. The most sensible part of the National park on eastern side of Kozjak lake is starkly burdened with different shapes of human activities, and this load grows with increase of the visitors and hotel guests. National park is continuously researched by the generation of the different profile of scientists and researchers and the knowledge about the natural system was generally high, but Country war and occupation of the lakes area for nearly five years stopped the research activities, normal visiting of the National park and as a consequence economic possibilities for the investment in the research and protection. Last four years was the time of consolidation of the finance situation and investment in the reconstruction of the hotels and other contents for tourist activity, and now the National park is ready to start with very serious research project for the protection of water system using, except traditional hydogeological and hydrological methods, new methodologies fully developed last decade as gehydrochemical analyses and modelling, remote sensing methods, natural tracers etc. Main problems are definition of catchment for discharge area, water dynamics inside and between the lakes, relation between lakes and karst underground, water losses directions from the lakes and alternative resources for water supply of the National park and surrounding settlements. Sound simple, but it is not. Catchment is generally known, but without enough exact data (tracings). Water dynamics inside the lakes is generally known too, because in such metheorological conditions two times a year water mass are overturned if lakes are enough deep. That is very important for the refreshment and protection of the system. Next problem is relation of the lakes and karst underground, because in National park there is not yet any piezometric boreholes. With detail hydrogeological researching of the high permeable carbonate masiff is possible to find out alternative drinking water resources, what is very important because the existing exploitation from the lake Kozjak decrease the water quantity on the downstream tufa barriers, what is very dangerous for the stability and father growth of tufa barriers. The results will be prepared in GIS technology which can be very attractive even for the visitors, who will be able to recognize other values of the National park Plitvice lakes except the extraordinary beauty of the environment. In such a way they are becoming slowly very active factor of the research and protection of the basic phenomena, and probably they will stay longer and some of them will for sure help us in the protection of the National park. All those research activities have a task the effective protection of the basic phenomena, which has to be the background of the management master plan for whole area. In our presentation we intend to speak more about the research project (combination of different methods) and how the results to apply in the protection of water system, one of the basic phenomena of the National park Plitvice lakes.

Plitvice Lakes; karst; unesco natural heritage; protection; water resources

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