Obtenir sòl per a poder restaurar els espais miners..., tot un repte

Abstract

Getting soil in order to restore mining areas..., a challenge. - Mining severely impacts on the environment. Once the extraction of a given mineral resources has concluded, the affected area should be integrated into the local environment, if possible by creating specific habitats. To this end, one of the main challenges is to foster a soil that facilitates the revegetation process. The best option is to use the natural topsoil, that was removed before the mining began. However the process of collection, storage and replacement of this soil entails a net loss in its quality. External soil represents an alternative, should the local topsoil prove insufficient for restoring the degraded site. In this case, however, the seed bank and propagules they contain may limit establishment of the target plant species. The use of quarry spoils is also an option for the extractive sector, though they are often marred by high stoniness and low fertility. The latter can be corrected by adding organic amendments such as sewage sludge or compost. Such amendments have variable effects on the revegetation process, including low seedling survival when high doses are applied. These new soils can also differ from natural soils, thus favoring a different type of vegetation. Studies show that knowledge of the interactions between soil and vegetation is crucial to achieving the objectives of each restoration project.