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Hydro-accumulation of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Lešće (Croatia): the example of the extensive devastation of cave karst habitats and cave fauna

The construction of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Lešće, which is the second power plant on the river Dobra, after the Power Plant Gojak, is in its final phase. For this purpose, the dam was built in the canyon of the river Dobra which will create a 13 km long reservoir between the village Gorenci and the Power Plant Gojak. Parts of the tributaries Bistrac and Ribnjak are also going to be submerged. In 2008 and 2009 Croatian Biospeleological Society conducted biospeleological research in the wider area of the canyon in order to establish mitigation and compensation measures to the cave fauna. Hundred and ten caves were recorded in the study area, and 57 among them were biospeleologically explored. Literature review and field research have identified a total of 201 taxa, of which 65 troglobites and stygobites and 27 troglophiles. Three species are listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and 12 are included in the Red Book of Croatian Cave Fauna. Ten cave species are probably new to science, and 53 are endemic to more or less wider area. Out of 57 caves surveyed, 10 will be completely flooded, 6 partially submerged, and 6 may be under hydrological influence. From the 22 impacted caves, 33 species have been determined as important ones due to their endemicity or endangerment. Two species are found only in caves that will be completely submerged and are not recorded anywhere else in Croatia. Unforeseeable consequences of building dams and reservoirs on the environment have been identified since the sixties. This is especially true in karst areas, where the underground cave habitats and fauna suffer a significant negative impact without the possibility of implementing any measures of protection as well as the specific compensatory measures in situ.

cave fauna ; devastation ; Hydroelectric Power Plant ; river Dobra ; Croatia

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