The main scientific/technological objective of the project is the assessment of anthropogenic pollution after the war events and its consequences to the karst ecosystem in a border zone between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina promoting the scientific-technical co-operation between these countries and some Member Countries of the European Union. The project envisages the synergy between various academic and scientific groups with the following objectives:

   To establish the rational measurement methods to be used, both in the field and laboratories, which will enable to assess the limits of sustainable development of the Bihac region, which was heavily affected by war consequences, and the environmentally protected, but touristically interested Plitvice area;

   To integrate working methodologies dealing with investigation of pollution of the karst ecosystem;

   To interchange the experiences and results, to use different equipment not available in CEEC countries and to extent human links among the persons integrated in scientific groups.

The project is oriented towards the end users: local authorities, enterprises, national parks and non-governmental organizations in the area. Therefore three case studies were chosen: on tourist domain, municipality domain and industry domain.

The project activity will be focused to the hydrogeologically connected areas of Plitvice National Park (Croatia) and Una River system in Bihac region (Bosnia-Herzegovina).

Measurable targets:

  Monitoring of input parameters necessary for hydrogeological investigations: isotope measurements in precipitation (²H, ³H, ¹⁸O) and ¹⁴C in the atmospheric CO₂ ;

  Hydrogeological study of catchment area, which encompass Una River system and Plitvice Lakes;

  Control of surface and groundwater pollution by anthropogenic activities by measurements of concentration of dissolved organic carbon, nitrates, nitrites, ammoniac, phosphoric acid, total suspended organic matter, CFC/SF6 and microbiological analyses;

   Study of recent lake sediment and tufa formation in order to assess the changes caused by human activities (²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁵N, ³⁴ S, trace elements, hydrocarbons);

  Investigation of the influence of waste waters and waste deposits from settlements and tourist accommodation capacities in karst areas.

Project milestones and expected results:

  Establishment of the geographic information system (GIS) of the selected area;

   Elaboration of the basis for a hydrogeological model based on the analytical elaboration of data obtained by physico-chemical and isotopic measurements;

  Recognizing of field in case of greater pollution and suggestion of ways of remediation of the area and the environment, and eventually establishment of a monitoring system on such risky places;

  Comparative measurements of physico-chemical parameters that characterize ecosystem of non polluted parts of karst areas with those affected by human activities (settlements, industry, traffic, tourism);

Specific case studies:

   1.   Investigation of the process of lake eutrofication in karst areas and ways of its prevention and the assessment of anthropogenic influence to the process of tufa formation in Plitvice Lakes and Una River;

   2.   Assessment of the influence of local industry in Bihac area and tourist activity at National Park Plitvice to water pollution;

   3.   Establishing of quality status of water supplying wells for the selected region from both sides of the border between two countries.