An example of karst catchment delineation for prioritizing the protection of an intact natural area

The karstic spring Perućac as the main drainage area of the Tara Mt. in western Serbia was studied in order to assess its discharge regime, water reserves, and to delineate its catchment area. The spring is located in the northeastern, inner zone of the classic Dinaric karst, which is characterized by a dominant extension of highly karstified Triassic limestones, a poorly developed hydrographic network with many ponors, and dense forests. Tara Mt. is one of five national parks in Serbia. The goal of the project was to identify a high-priority protection zone within the preserved natural area which is also well known and actively used for tourism and recreation purposes. Based on data on the discharge regime of the Perućac Spring, and by applying the multiple non-linear correlation method, the size of the direct catchment area was assumed to be 79.3 km2, which was 5–18 % larger than that estimated by previous surveys. Proposal to extend preserved natural area and to include sanitary protection zone of the Perućac spring as well as to establish a common monitoring system for biodiversity and water has been made. In this way, not only native plants and animals but also their habitats would be better protected from potential pollution.