Karst aquifers are some of the most important and well-used sources of water worldwide. The tapping of karst waters for use as drinking water has been important in the historical and economic development of many karst regions. Recent studies have found that karstified rocks and aquifer systems cover c. 15% of the Earth's ice-free land. The greatest area of karst outcrops (>1 × 10 ⁶ km ² ) is in Russia, the USA, China and Canada. In the Mediterranean basin, groundwater is generally more abundant in karst than in other aquifers and has been extensively exploited. Karst groundwater is also widely used in the Middle East, China, North America, and northern and eastern Africa and is of crucial importance for the sustainable development of tourism and the economy. Karst aquifers currently supply c. 10% of the global population with drinking water and, in some zones, they are the only water resource available. However, the share of karst aquifers in the global supply of water will decrease with the predicted increase in population, concentrated in urban areas, and improvements in treatment technologies for water from other sources.

As a specific type of landscape and aquifer, karst is developed in soluble carbonate and evaporitic rocks and is of great importance for humanity. It covers more than 15% of Earth’s ice-free land and its aquifers provide about 10% of the world population’s drinking water. However, in general, its importance is not adequately supported by monitoring. Due to very dynamic karst regimes, in many countries, monitoring networks and their technology must be enlarged and improved, in terms of both the quantity and quality of water. The article discusses the current state of monitoring in legislation and water practice, as well as its importance in preventing water pollution, ensuring water provision to dependent ecosystems and preparing adaptation strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate changes. Karst aquifers’ heterogeneity, high vulnerability to pollution and their very dynamic regimes require a more frequent observation of discharge and water quality parameters than any other aquifer system. There is also a need for installing sophisticated monitoring equipment, which enables remote observation of changes in dynamic karst systems. Improving monitoring and creating an early warning system would have a direct and positive effect on water management and might also be able to prevent uncontrolled groundwater extraction and deterioration of water quality.