A new UNESCO/IUGS IGCP project, the IGCP513 "Global Study of Karst Aquifers and Water Resources" was approved with other 14 projects by the IGCP and UNESCO in March ,2005. The Project is accepted for implementation from 2005 to 2009.

This project is proposed as successor to Project 448: World Correlation of Karst Geology and Relevant Ecosystems, approved by the IGCP Scientific Board in 2000, and which published its final report in 2004. Project 448 is the most recent of three successful karst-related projects carried out under the auspices of IGCP, which also included Project 299: Geology, Climate, Hydrology and Karst Formation (1990-1994) and Project 379: Karst Processes and the Global Carbon Cycle (1995-1999).

The proposal of the IGCP513 was brought forward by Chris Groves (USA), Yuan Daoxian (China), Bartolome Andreo-Navarro (Spain), Heather Viles (UK). This project involved more than 30 countries:Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The main purpose of the proposed project is to encourage international cooperation to increase understanding of karst water resources with regard to both ecological and human health concerns, and to promote the sharing of ideas, experiences and resources in developing solutions to karst water resource challenges. We propose a transdisciplinary approach to address the four major areas of emphasis for the project:

• Relation of hydrology to the function and health of karst ecosystems;
• Water supply in karst regions;
• Water-related environmental problems in karst regions;
• Aqueous geochemistry of karst aquifer/landscape systems.
  

FULL TITLE :Global Study of Karst Aquifers and Water Resources
DURATIOIN : 5 years (2005-2009)
PROPOSER :