Three Decades of Slovenian–Chinese Scientific Cooperation
Collaboration between Chinese and Slovenian karst researchers dates back to the 1980s, but its official beginning is considered to be in 1995, when researchers from the Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU, together with colleagues from the Yunnan University, launched their first joint project. Yunnan Province, located in southwest China, is largely karstic, with a landscape rich in numerous karst features – some of which are similar to those in Slovenia, the cradle of karst science, where nearly half of the territory is karstified.
This year marks thirty years of cooperation. Among its key achievements are the establishment of the Joint Karst Laboratory in Kunming and the International Karst Research Center at Yunnan University, whose head, Prof. Liu Hong, has been an honorary member of ZRC SAZU since 2017. The Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU, with its nearly 80-year tradition, enjoys high recognition in China and its head has on behalf of the Institute accepted the prestigious Friendship with Yunnan Award. Evidence of this fruitful cooperation includes numerous scientific papers presenting research results on Yunnan's karst – from tropical tower karst in the south, to the famous stone forests, and the karst landscapes of the Tibetan Plateau. Two joint books, South China Karst 1 and 2, have also been published, and the Institute is actively involved in many Chinese research projects.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Slovenian–Chinese scientific cooperation, a short film was created, showcasing the Institute's key research activities: from basic karst studies to the International Karstological School, the Doctoral Programme of Karstology at the University of Nova Gorica, the UNESCO Chair on Karst Education, as well as the Institute's international karstological library, laboratory, and database in Postojna.
In the film, Prof. Dr. Tadej Slabe, Head of the Karst Research Institute, Prof. Dr. Martin Knez, Director of the Doctoral Programme in Karstology, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nataša Ravbar, Head of the Slovenian National Research Programme "Karst Research", present the Institute's work.
Watch the film here.