Ecological restoration of abandoned mine and threat mitigation of the active mine

Abstract

Land is a living system. Like any other life form on earth that has gone through a harm and requires healing, the land as well requires healing and restoration once it has witnessed disfiguration or damage of any kind. One such causes of damage is mining. Mining is a land intensive activity, which depletes the land of its pristine health and resources and further leads to the making of an infertile piece of land, that can no longer serve as a habitat for any kind of life form. Loss of rich topsoil and loss of biodiversity that used to inhabit the land when it was in its pristine state, are few of the many consequences of mining. Apart from degradation of land, the process of mining causes severe environmental, social and health externalities in the surrounding regions and among the people who reside in its vicinity. The externalities can be severe at mine’s operational state as well at its abandoned state. However, the land can be reclaimed into a relatively healthier state using several bio-geotechnologies in a sequential and gradual process. Reclamation is the processes of restoring the land. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. It is a strategic activity that initiates or accelerates an ecological pathway. There is always a challenge involved when undertaking restoration across the massively mined areas. Ecological restoration establishes self-sustaining ecosystems with species, composition and function. The processes of natural regeneration demonstrate that nature can achieve restoration and develop a fully functioning soil. Holistic and ecological reclamation can help in revival of the threatened elements like air, water and land in a phase wise manner