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Reclamation of disturbed lands
... Restoration allows no land-use flexibility and incurs the greatest cost" [27]. Within the framework of this aim-oriented approach, in 1998, J.T. Terrence defined reclamation as "the treatment of disturbed areas to create stable landforms and edaphic conditions to sustain predetermined land uses with minimal maintenance" [26] (p. 4018). ...
The article considers the concept of the circular economy as an important tool for achieving sustainable development, which relates to the preservation of renewable resources’ mass through the renewal of withdrawn resources and the restoration of disturbed ones. It is directly linked to remedial land treatment in post-mining disturbed land. However, after numerous studies, the conceptual apparatus of recultivation remains unspecified. Moreover, there is a gap regarding the trends of evolutionary changes in studies of legislation and feasibility on the subject of recultivation. Employing comparative law as a tool, the aim of the study is to develop a consistent approach based on circular economy by establishing the stages of legal support for recultivation and identifying the content of all these stages regarding economic efficiency. Currently, the environmental priorities of the economy are triggering the usage of the ecosystem approach for assessing the ecological result of recultivation. Therefore, the core of the paper is the development of a consistent circular economy approach by (1) clarifying the concept of recultivation, (2) identifying the stages of the development of a legal framework for recultivation and (3) revealing evolutionary changes in feasibility studies on recultivation. The authors prove that recultivation should be considered from the perspective of geoaesthetics, which implies a harmonious incorporation of the recultivated landscape into the environment.
... Land rehabilitation, implying the re-establishment of a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem and utilization of the site for its proposed land use after mining activities (Zellmer and Wilkey, 1979), is a compulsory task and at the same time a complex issue to solve. Toy and Daniels (2000) mention that the reclamation process of a degraded landscape consists of 10 sequential steps: (1) site characterization, (2) reclamation planning and engineering, (3) material management, (4) topographic reconstruction, (5) replacement of topsoil or soil substitute, (6) surface manipulation, (7) addition of soil amendments, (8) revegetation, (9) irrigation, if needed, and (10) site monitoring and maintenance. Within this process, the reprofiling of the landform holds a significant role, given that "the resulting landscapes are the foundations for all other reclamation practices and the surfaces for future land uses" (Toy and Chuse, 2005). ...
Land rehabilitation constitutes an integral part of surface mining design aiming at returning the mined-out area to its former suitability to accept new land uses. The effectiveness of alternative rehabilitation plans depends on many parameters, the majority of which can be quantified in physical terms. One of the most difficult issues to deal with, however, is still the impact on the landscape during the operation and the improvement achieved after rehabilitation of the mine site. Towards this direction, the paper presents, through an illustrative example, a new method for the quantitative evaluation of the impacts on the landscape. This method, named LETOPID, focuses on the measurement of two main parameters: (i) the alteration of topographic relief and (ii) the sensitivity of observation conditions, both making use of GIS tools. The arithmetic values produced for each of the above parameters facilitates the discrimination of seemingly similar alternative design and rehabilitation plans.
Large-scale surface mining are the major causes for ecological disaster at the landscape level, but ecological restoration in post mining areas offers an opportunity to redevelop an ecosystem. The present research programme was undertaken in Panchapatmali Bauxite Mines in Koraput district of Odisha which is one of the biggest mines in Eastern Ghats ecoregion. The above ground biomass (AGB) and soil parameters inside and outside the mines (natural forest) were compared and their interrelationships were also tested at 1% level of significance. For the three dominant species Pinus insularis, Euca-lyptus hybrid and Samenia saman, the regression coefficient (R 2) values for AGB were significant with respect to DBH (R 2 = 0.80-0.90), height (R 2 = 0.35-0.76) and with basal area (R 2 = 0.90-0.96). Species wise, maximum biomass was shown by Pinus insularis followed by Eucalyptus hybrid and Samenia saman which reveals that exotic species have overruled the indigenous species in the plantation areas. An accurate cokriging geospatial model with minimum errors predicted the AGB values to range from 45.6 to 416.4 t/ha compared to the observed biomass range 5.90-507.06 t/ha through the developed regression equation y = 1.003x + 0.24. The overall AGB of the reclaimed area was at par with the natural forest outside the mines. Increasing the pH level of soils, planting indigenous species and increasing green ground cover species will have lesser negative competition with the trees in the reclaimed zone that can restore the fragile ecosystem.
Stone mines continue to create severe environmental problems in many parts of our country,
especially in cities. Stone mines which are permitted to operate on rich natural and cultural
values (many areas such as forests, agricultural areas, water resources, residential areas,
tourism and highways) continue to exist as ecological, physical and visual pollution sources
after being abandoned without or with very limited rehabilitation. This situation can be
approved by approximately 5000 existing stone mines and 20.000 new license applications
for opening stone mines.
In this study, the nature of the environmental damage caused by abandoned stone mines after
being utilized for the Blacksea Coastal Highway and Landfill construction or other
construction works and after completing their economic life at the Değirmendere Valley, is
being investigated
Stone mines continue to create severe environmental problems in many parts of our country,
especially in cities. Stone mines which are permitted to operate on rich natural and cultural
values (many areas such as forests, agricultural areas, water resources, residential areas,
tourism and highways) continue to exist as ecological, physical and visual pollution sources
after being abandoned without or with very limited rehabilitation. This situation can be
approved by approximately 5000 existing stone mines and 20.000 new license applications
for opening stone mines.
In this study, the nature of the environmental damage caused by abandoned stone mines after
being utilized for the Blacksea Coastal Highway and Landfill construction or other
construction works and after completing their economic life at the Değirmendere Valley, is
being investigated.
Fertilizer nitrogen (N) management and other cultural practices used in reclamation can have a significant effect on the successful revegetation of mined lands. Repeated fertilization of revegetated lands creates management and economic concerns. Nitrogen fertil-izer was broadcast at 67 kg ha-' yr-' for 4 years and at 268 ha-l for 1 year on revegetated mined hmd to evaluate N management effects on forage production. Seeded grass production over 5 years did not exhibit consistent increases for the single N fertilizer application compared to the 4 annual applications. Although the single, higher N fertilization treatment only produced significantly greater forage in 3 instances compared to the lower annual fertilization treatment, it would result in a significant savings in application costs. Seeded grass production was higher and annual forb production lower when established using a standing grain stubble mulch compared to a crimped straw mulch. A single, higher application rate of nitrogen and a stubble mulch are recommended because of their production, management, and economic benefits.
The landscapes manufactured during disturbed-land reclamation are the foundations for all subsequent reclamation practices and the surfaces for future land uses. From a geomorphic perspective, the goal of topographic reconstruction is the creation of steady-state landscapes. As the reconstructed drainage basins, hillslopes, and stream channels approach steady-state configurations, adjustments by geomorphic processes after reclamation decrease. As the adjustments necessary to establish the steady state decrease, the prospect for reclamation success increases and the demand for post-reclamation site maintenance decreases. Digital elevation modeling software offers an opportunity to incorporate geomorphic principles into topographic reconstruction at the design stage of reclamation. As a first approximation, drainage-basin area, weighted mean slope, and drainage density for the pre-disturbance or undisturbed landscape are closely replicated in the reconstructed topography. The technical and economic feasibility of this approach is currently being tested.
Cover title: Seed germination and salt tolerance in Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt. Thesis (M.S.)--Texas Tech University, 1981. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-54).
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