Insights and Lessons Learned From the Long-Term Rehabilitation of Abandoned Mine Lands-A Plant Based Approach

Despite the fact that mining activities cause a significant soil, ground water, and air pollution, detrimental effects mostly occur on natural flora and fauna, leading thereby to the destruction of natural view of land and loss of visual landscape values. Rehabilitation of abandoned mine lands (AMLs) is a very complex process, which in the end must lead to the much more than the presence of vegetation on the site. Quality and functionality of soil system must be confirmed comparing with similar undisturbed ecosystem, mostly by evaluation of several parameters including microbial activity, plant-fungi associations, and soil enzymes activities. Likewise, it is very important to set the revegetation objectives, which should meet the postclosure land use that has been agreed for the specific site. In the end, setting the self-sustaining system might lead to the successful rehabilitation of AMLs.