Karst landscapes cover about 20 percent of the Earth’s surface and the world’s population derives roughly 40% of groundwater reserves from karst aquifers. Due to the unusual features of these soluble landscapes, they are more vulnerable to environmental challenges than most others. While there are some spectacular and noteworthy karst features such as springs, caves, and sinkholes, most karst landscapes are far more complex than meets the eye. Underground, karst systems are uniquely tied to biochemical systems that link atmosphere and groundwater cycles. As a result, karst systems are the bellwether of global climate change and a variety of other anthropogenic environmental challenges. This special issue examines a range of themes that have emerged in recent years within the karst literature by bringing together a group of papers focused on the following: Sustainability and karst landscapes; Coastal karst systems; Karst aquifers; Preservation of karst features; Cave management; Cave ecosystems. Compared with many other earth science fields, karst is a highly interdisciplinary and international topic due to the long interest in cave exploration and because of the historic interaction of humans and karst environments (for example in the Mayan Yucatan, in Southeast Asia, and in much of the Italian Peninsula). As a result, this special issue will have a distinct interdisciplinary and global perspective. The resulting volume will advance the field of sustainability and karst science by highlighting key themes that have not been brought together before.
Keywords: Karst; sustainability; limestone; soluble terrain; groundwater; aquifers; biochemical cycles; climate change; management; caves.