Karmen Peternelj, Sanja Alaber, Miloš Bavec, Stefano Devoto, Stefano Furlani, Goran Glamuzina, Jernej Jež, Tvrtko Korbar, Maja Oven Stanič, Maria Luisa Perissinotto, Fabiana Pieri, Duška Rokavec, Ivan Stanič, Domen Zupančič
Having analysed the conflicts between exploitation activities and natural heritage preservation demands, we are proposing guidelines for future mitigation. They are addressed to both existing and potential future quarrying sites.
The recent increase in the demand for platy limestone materials for building restoration in the entire eligible project area has led to a strong demand for building materials for construction purposes. Hence, the need to assess the sites for natural heritage and economic suitability is increasingly important.
All member countries have some form of hierarchical government structure, with the national government at the apex and the legal and administrative structures following the “cascade” principle, i.e. regional, county and local law and practices, which are consistent with national and, especially, European ones.
Large portions of the eligible areas are protected by different European, National and Regional laws
The negative impacts of platy limestone exploitation are associated with deforestation, changes in hydrological or hydrogeological conditions and quality, landscape and habitat transformations that promote invasive species colonization, noise and vibration, etc. However, large portions of the eligible areas are protected by different European, National and Regional laws.
Possible limitations for the extraction of the platy limestone in the project area concern:
For non-commercial purposes, it could be useful to exploit platy limestone in some pre-determined sites and in a certain volume, without getting mining rights. All exploitation areas with mining rights are obligated to provide an Environmental Assessment to avoid any possible impact on the environment.
The use of non-autochthonous (outside the Dinaric Karst area) platy limestone has be absolutely unacceptable. However, if there was no possibility of exploiting platy limestone in a particular site, the limestone can be exploiting everywhere, providing the geological characteristics are the same. From the geological research within the project, it has been shown that platy limestone in Italy and Slovenia came from the same geological units, as well as the entire stratigraphic sequence. Otherwise, in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina the geological units are different, in terms of age, fossil content and lithological characteristics.
For these reasons, in the first instance, it is recommended to re-use platy limestone or recycle platy limestone plates from old abandoned dilapidated houses, abandoned materials or inactive quarries.
After closing, regardless of the technology and production program, each quarry will represent a specific wound in the natural environment.
We want to promote the continuation of the use of platy limestone together with natural heritage protection, by preserving and promoting the typical karst cultural landscape.
We want to promote the continuation of the use of platy limestone together with natural heritage protection, by preserving and promoting the typical karst cultural landscape
In the frame of the RoofOfRock project, the limestone quarries in all the 4 countries of the eligible area have been inventoried and surveyed. A field form has been specially designed for field activities in order to characterize all the quarries where platy limestone layers have been observed from a lithological, geomorphological, paleontological and legislative point of view. The possible conflicts with legislation in force have been verified. According to the obtained results and considering different scenarios of the conflicts between exploitation and preservation, 9 quarries/delves for the sustainable exploitation of small quantities of platy limestone have been identified and are described below.
The occurrence of platy limestone is extremely limited in the Italian part of project area. In the frame of the RoofOfRock project, 24 quarries with limited horizons of platy limestone have been observed; among them, 16 are in areas that are somehow protected or have some limitations. The remaining quarries do not exhibit adequate quantities of material for exploiting.
However, small quantities of thin limestone slabs are widespread over the Italian part of the Carso/Kras, and are gathered as waste materials in many quarries.
In the case of the restoration of a typical karst house (or church) or the building of a new one, if there is no possibility of re-using old plates or opening a new quarry or exploiting an abandoned one, it is advised to resort to the nearby Slovenia.
One of the outputs of the project is the geological characterization and mapping of the platy limestone units in all the Adriatic Karst Region: in this framework, the geologists highlighted that the platy limestone horizons in Slovenia and Italy belong to the same geological formation and are practically identical. This is the reason why, in case of need, it is suggested to create a common market and the sustainable small economic exchange of limited quantities of platy limestone between Slovenia and Italy.
After careful consideration of the situation in the field and an assessment of the quality of the platy limestone slabs, two areas for limited exploitation with a need for a synchronous paleontological monitoring have been recognized:
In all other locations, there are relatively small outcrops of platy limestone on the surface or near the surface or the platy limestone materials are characterized by a poor quality. Given the predominantly horizontal or sub-horizontal bedding, a re-acquisition of platy limestone in large areas should be opened. However, from an environmental standpoint this is virtually impossible in the Carso/Kras area, since almost the whole of the Kras is under Natura 2000 protection and special permits are required. Even in above-proposed sites it is not possible to excavate large quantities of high-quality platy limestone slabs.
For larger quantities of platy limestone, the following possible sites for extraction have been identified:
After careful consideration of the situation in the field and an assessment of the quality of platy limestone slabs and the absence of natural heritage obligations, the following sites are suitable for the exploitation of platy limestone: the Podveležje site (east of the city of Mostar and Dobrć village), the Dretelj-Zvirovići site (northwest of Čapljina), the Drinovci site (south of Grude), the area around the Raška Gora and Vrdi sites (north of Mostar), the Polog (Žovnica) site (west of Mostar) and the Borićevac site (northeast of Posušje). Among these, the most representative is:
