Human Interaction with Caribbean Karst Landscapes: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

IzvlečekUDK 551.44(729) Mick Day: Vpliv človeka na kraško pokrajino na Karibih: preteklost, sedanjost in prihodnost Kras je močno povezan z zgodovino ter okoljsko, gospodarsko, kmetijsko in kulturno problematiko Karibov. Kraška območja predstavljajo številne izzive pri upravljanju z naravo. Po eni strani so na krasu povečana tveganja za naravne nesreče, po drugi strani pa je kraška pokrajina posebej občutljiva za degradacijo in okoljske spremembe. Na krasu najdemo veliko arheoloških najdišč predkolumbskih kultur. Evropsko kolonialno kmetijstvo, ki seveda ni bilo sonaravno, je povzročilo veliko škode na vegetaciji in kraškem površju. Kraška območja so bila pomembna pri uporih proti kolonialni oblasti. Specifiko kraške pokrajine so za skrivanje in gverilske akcije izkoriščali Marooni. Po osamosvajanju so kraška območja postala pomembna za kmetijstvo, urbanizacijo in turizem. Kljub tveganjem suše in poplav, je vpliv človeka na kras dolgoročen. Po napovedih naj bi klimatkse spremembe v regiji povzročile naraščanje morske gladine, spremembe v količini padavin in večjo pogostost izjemnih vremenskih dogodkov, kot so suše in orkani. Učinki teh dogodkov bodo na krasu še močneje izraženi, posebej z ozirom na kraško hidrologijo. Klimatkse spremembe in človekov vpliv bo vse bolj ogrožal že tako ogrožene kraške ekosisteme in skupnosti prebivalcev na Karibih. Vse grožeče spremembe bo protrebno vnesti v načrte upravljanja območja. Ključne besede: Karibi, kras, zgodovina, naravne nesreče, klimatske spremembe, upravljanje. AbstractUDC 551.44(729) Mick Day: Human Interaction with Caribbean Karst Landscapes: Past, Present and FutureKarst provides a critical physical backdrop for much of the Caribbean's history and many of its existing environmental, agricultural, economic and cultural issues. The karstlands are challenging to human habitation, since they possess a broad array of natural hazards, but they are also at risk of degradation and vulnerable to environmental change. The karst has a rich legacy of pre-Colombian settlement and contains many regional archaeological sites. Unsustainable European colonial agricultural practices degraded the vegetation and landscape severely. The karstlands also played a major role in resistance to colonial authority, and were used by Maroons as both refuges and bases for harassment and guerilla actions. Following emancipation and independence, the karst became a basis for subsistence agriculture, increasingly yielding to commercial agriculture, urbanization and industrial activities, and tourism. Despite hazards such as drought and flooding, human impacts on the karstlands have been long-term and severe. Regional predictions are that anthropogenic climatic change will lead to rising sea levels, changing precipitation totals and the increasing frequency of extreme events, such as droughts and hurricanes. The effects of all these changes will be magnified in the karst, particularly with respect to karst hydrology. Climate change and other human impacts will increasingly threaten already at-risk a...

Exploring Relationships Between Karst Terrains and Social Features by the Example of Gömör-Torna Karst (Hungary-Slovakia)

“…As Day (2010) stated: "karstlands are challenging to human habitation", that is karsts imply more difficulties than possibilities to their people. As for the agriculture, karst terrains usually have low potential (Ravbar 2004).…”

Ecotourism in the State Forest Karst of Puerto Rico

“…Others are limited to specific landscapes and thus are more specialized; caving and scuba diving are examples. Both general and specialized ecotourism occur in karst landscapes, and tourism is becoming an important aspect of human use of karst areas, with attendant impacts (Huppert et al, 1993;Day, 2010a). The karst also contains diverse and endemic plant and animal populations and provides a wide variety of outdoor activities, while supporting biological, ecological, and geomorphological diversity (Lugo et al, 2001).…”

“…The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) has recognized karst landscapes, including those in the Caribbean, as being at particular risk of degradation and warranting protection (Watson et al, 1997). Pressures on the Caribbean's karst resources are of great concern for environmental, economic, and social reasons (Kueny and Day, 1998;Day, 2010aDay, ,b, 2011, and the establishment of protected areas is one way these resources can be conserved. In Puerto Rico, the karst merits conservation because it is ''not only a significant portion of the total land area of the island, but it is a particularly important area in terms of its environmental assets'' (Lugo et al, 2001: p. 82).…”

“…Throughout the Caribbean, human activities have had widespread adverse impacts on karst landscapes (Day, 1993(Day, , 2010a(Day, ,b, 2011, and these are predicted to increase (Day and Chenoweth, 2009). In this context, the northern karst belt of Puerto Rico has an interesting history of colonial agricultural expansion and contraction, followed by depopulation and then urban and industrial encroachment (Pico, 1974;Lugo et al, 2001).…”

“…Tourism impacts karst, particularly because of the relative fragility of the landscape (Day, 2010a(Day, ,b, 2011, and even eco-related activities can damage the environment, particularly in karst landscapes (Coghlan, 2008). Overall, tourism, which necessarily involves human-environment interactions, can have severe effects on caves and other components of karst ecosystems.…”