Human impact on the karst of the Venetian Fore-Alps, Italy

Sauro, Ugo

doi:10.1007/bf00775294

Cited by 57 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…As in other regions of the Mediterranean basin (Tulipano et al, 1982;Sauro, 1993;Atalay, 1999;Nicod and Salomon, 1999), the problem was not the agricultural use of karst areas in itself, but rather some operations which resulted in irrevocable destruction of the soil structure, in erosion, and in polluting events: namely, the practice of stone clearing, and the intense and uncontrolled use of pesticides and herbicides. Stone clearing has actually become the most diffuse practice to gain new lands to agriculture (Akdim and Amyay, 1999;Burri et al, 1999).…”

Section: Land Degradation and Desertificationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Natural and anthropogenic hazards in karst areas of Albania

Parise

Qiriazi

Sala³

2004

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract.In Albania, about one quarter of the country is occupied by outcroppings of soluble rocks; thus, karst represents an important and typical natural environment. Today karst areas are seriously threatened by a number of hazards, of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Many problems are related to agricultural practices: the use of heavy machinery, ever-increasing in recent years, results at many sites in destruction of the original karst landscapes. Use of pesticides and herbicides, in addition, causes the loss of karst ecosystems of great biological relevance, as has been observed in the Dumre district, where about 80 lakes of karst origin are present in the evaporites of Permian-Triassic age. Agricultural practice performed on slopes with medium to high gradient is a further factor which greatly predispose the slopes to erosion. The cave heritage of Albania (estimated so far in about 1000 caves) is at risk because of the uncontrolled quarrying activities which determine the total or partial destruction of karst caves, including many of naturalistic, archaeological and speleological interest. Many caves have also become sites of illegal disposal of solid and liquid wastes, which causes pollution of the karst ecosystems and of the aquifer therein present, with heavy negative consequences on the quality of water. Even though most of the cases here mentioned are related to anthropogenic activities, the natural hazards, such as subsidence phenomena, floods, and the development of sinkholes, have not to be disregarded.

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Section: Land Degradation and Desertificationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Natural and anthropogenic hazards in karst areas of Albania

Parise

Qiriazi

Sala³

2004

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…Besides the speculations of cultured men, it is interesting to consider how the karst has been perceived by the inhabitants of the mountains, who were mostly farmers and loggers (Pasa 1954;Sauro 1993Sauro , 2006. These inhabitants appreciated that, although there were consistent amounts of precipitation, there was no surface water except for a few small springs, so they had to face the problem of constructing water reservoirs, a prerequisite to living in such a karstic environment.…”

Section: The Karst Environment and The Inhabitants Of The Mountainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ugo Sauro: Highlights of some human adventures in a karst environment: the case of the Monti Lessini (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

Sauro¹

2017

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The Monti Lessini, a mountain group located north of the town of Verona, has been the scene of many different human adventures, some of them related to the local karst environment and features. In particular, during the Late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Modern Age, interesting undertakings linked with natural monuments and peculiarities of the karst environment, have involved famous people, cultural leaders of the time, as well as local inhabitants. Amongst celebrities there are hints that: 1) during the XIV century Dante Alighieri visited some karst cavities in the mountains, 2) during the XV century the famous painter Andrea Mantegna painted an image of the Ponte di Veja, a natural bridge, in the Camera degli Sposi of the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Of contemporary cultural leaders: 1) in the XVI century the pharmacist, Francesco Calceolari, created one of the first Wunderkammer in the world in Verona, an exhibition of curious objects collected in the mountains, 2) in 1739 the local priest, Gregorio Piccoli, began a description of paleontological cave fillings, proposed an interesting and in some respects modern interpretation of the geological history of the mountains. The local inhabitants of the mountain have been able not only to solve some of the environmental problems caused by the scarcity of surface water, but also to exploit some of the unusual resources such as ice trapped in caves. They also developed a system of producing ice and of storing it in cylindrical warehouses inspired by the local karst shafts. They understood aspects of the functioning of the karst geosystem, including underground karst hydrology and the dynamics of the epikarstic zone. Thus, here in the Lessini existence of the epikarst was understood by simple people long before the modern researchers. Key Words: Man and karst, understanding of the karst environment, exploitation of natural resources, Monti Lessini, Venetian Prealps, Italy.

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“…Sauro (1987Sauro ( , 1993. The Venetian Pre-Alps, the southern sector of the eastern Italian Alps, constitute a belt of well-defined karst morpho-units, marking the transition between the Alps and the Venetian Plain.…”

Section: Some Typical Aspects Of Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The deficiency has been covered by the introduction of large quantities of animal feed. The raw sewage production of nitrogenous compounds greatly increased, roughly corresponding to that of cities of 200,000-400,000 persons (Sauro, 1993), with subsequent environmental problems due to the liquid wastes and pollution of the karst springs.…”

Section: Some Typical Aspects Of Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%