Most readers will know that the word 'karst' originated from a specific region of Slovenia. Somewhat regrettably, the German word karst replaced the true Slovenian name of Kras. So, to honour the true origins of karst and of speleology, and the dignity of the Slovenian nation, I am going to say Kras, at least in this paper.

As I write this, I have just completed an all too brief visit to the classic Kras region of Slovenia, primarily to make an assessment of the developmental and restoration requirements of the great Skocjanske Jama. More of that later.

It is some 20 years since I previously visited the region and three impressions stand out above all: economic development is all too evident in the network of motorways; there is a dramatic increase in the forest cover of the country, and an equally dramatic improvement in the quality of the ground water.

Even the motorway development has its striking and very positive side. Unlike some other countries (USA & Australia included), the road engineers have a clear appreciation of karst and so have worked hand-in-hand with the Karst Research Institute (SAZU) at Postojna to ensure design which is appropriate for the Kras and to assess any new caves which are discovered in the course of construction. The result is a road surface without the subsidence and collapse which so commonly occurs in other karst regions.

But it was the change in water quality which impressed me most - on my last visit, the level of groundwater pollution was so bad that one could smell it at a very considerable distance and there seemed to be no hope of any improvement. Today the water is clear, almost to international drinking water standard, the fauna is back, and the quality continues to improve. Although due in part to proper environmental management, the scientists and managers had to admit that the major factor was the closure (for economic, not environmental, reasons) of the major polluting industries. But there is no question that the Slovenian people and government truly value their land, and are now determined to ensure its proper stewardship.

The classic Kras region attracted the notice of travellers and geographers over 2,000 years ago. It was completely stripped of vegetation and the striking landscape with its canyons, giant dolines, enormous caves and other features was obvious to all. Both it and the neighbouring Postojna Kras attracted the attention, over many centuries, of those who might be called the proto-managers of the region, concerned to solve some of the water supply and agricultural problems, the early scholars who sought understanding, and the explorers who simply wanted to find what was hidden in the immense tunnels, underground rivers and shafts which punctuated the landscape. It was, for instance, the site of the first recorded underground water tracing as early as 1599. So, probably more than any other region, the Kras not only gave us the term karst, but can justly be seen as the birthplace of speleology, of the karst sciences and of karst management.

Most of my very brief stay was spent in walking through, over and around Skockanske Jama and in talking with the team of people currently engaged in thinking about future management. A new regional park has been established and provides a broad buffer zone around the core protected area surrounding the cave. This has been listed on the World Heritage Register since 1986, both in its own right as an absolutely monumental cluster of landforms and as a prime example of the Kras landscape. Regrettably, management of the cave had concentrated upon economic return and simply processing people through the cave once separated from their money. The cave is so spectacular that this more or less worked, but the quality of visitor experience, even now, is a shadow of what it might be and the cave has been steadily degraded.

The new independent state of Slovenia has, in the course of establishing the larger park, also established a new park management agency, somewhat similar in principle to the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust. At present, director Albin Dubevec and his staff, together with support from other agencies, are hard at work developing a resource inventory and management plan. They anticipate taking over responsibility for the tourism program (currently still in the hands of the local tourism agency) at the beginning of 1999.

Some readers will have visited the cave and know something of its scale - but few will have visited or even know of the Hanke Tunnel - an immense sector of the cave with a passage cross-section measuring 1.2 hectares! The river Reka enters the cave from an immense canyon upstream, and pours through a gigantic and truly spectacular entry portal. Visitors enter the cave further downstream through an artificial tunnel and walk through the pleasantly decorated 'Silent Cave'. It is, of course, no more silent than any other cave, but its name recognises the immense contrast of the 'Water Cave'. Then one emerges into the Grand Hall - an immense and superbly decorated dome. As one moves up to the top of the Hall and onwards, the noise of the river becomes progressively louder - then one looks down into the immense canyon which is the underground course of the Reka and then crosses the Hanke Bridge high above the water. From here on, the path is cut in the cliff face of the 100 metre high subterranean gorge and winds through the cave, high above the water with one splendid view after another. This is not only a top-class experience, but it is so distinctive that it almost warrants use of that grossly overused and usually false term 'unique'.

The tour emerges into one of the immense dolines associated with the Reka. Here the environment is a truly remarkable one, with a complex climatic regime that provides for a mix of Mediterranean and Alpine vegetation. In fact, the dolines are perhaps the most important single feature from a nature conservation perspective, even though the cave provides one of the greatest underground spectacles of the world. Here we again meet the one of the paradoxes of environmental management - the success and richness of the re-vegetation program now makes it somewhat more difficult to fully appreciate the dolines as land features. Even from the tourist perspective, I must say I regret that one can no longer look up from the floor of the doline and see the Skocjan Church of St Canzianus sitting on the edge of the cliff, once one of the visual delights of the visit.

This is not the place to discuss the emerging plan of management (partly because the editor needs space to publish lots of other things!) but it is an exciting project. The team concerned are committed to develop a top-class plan which will do justice to the striking quality of the site. I feel deeply privileged in being able to play some small part in the process.

Of course, one cannot fail to fully use the opportunity, so while in the area, I was able to spend a day with the Karst Research Institute, both at their temporary home in Planina, and on the move, visiting Postojna and Predjama, the Raku Skocjan, and the giant poljes of Planina and Cerknica. And I stayed at the Lipice hotel amongst the dancing white horses.

Australians have long been visitors to the Karst Research Institute, but the door is now wide open for interchange with the management team at Skocjanske. My visit was essentially a first assessment of what might be done to support the management planning process, but over the years to come, we may be able to help them in some ways, and we can certainly learn a great deal from them. Hopefully, we will be able to welcome some of them to an ACKMA conference to exchange experience and ideas.