Recovery of degraded areas by mining combining soil bioengineering techniques with the generation and maintenance of ecosystem services

Abstract

Environmental liabilities from aggregate mining promote landscape change and biodiversity loss, and modify the superficial dynamic processes and the water cycle, which cause significant environmental impacts. The existence of such areas has motivated this research. The proper recovery of degraded areas by mining, with the maintenance of ecosystem services is a current and relevant challenge. The understanding and the solution for this problem should be based on integrated technological areas. The lack of applied in-depth studies on soil bioengineering to recover degraded areas, combining ecosystem services in mining activities shows that there is a knowledge gap that, once bridged, would generate innovation. The goal of this project is to develop a recovery model for degraded areas by aggregate mining, based on soil bioengineering techniques, that best contributes to the maintenance of ecosystem services. In order to undertake this issue, the project comprises the following activities or steps: identification, analysis, selection and enhancement of soil bioengineering techniques suitable for land recovery by aggregate mining and the development of environmental indicators and parameters for assessing and valuating of ecosystem services.The research will combine a comprehensive review on the current state of the art on soil bioengineering and recovery of degraded areas with field test, which will comprise long term monitoring and periodic assessment. The environmental performance of the tested model, based on the indicators and parameters developed will allow the elaboration of guidelines for the aggregate mining sector and other areas from mining sector (with proper adaptations).In order to undertake the knowledge in the academic and technical community, the project will provide multi-level scholarships: scientific initiation for undergraduate students, master and doctoral degrees. The researchers involved in the project will disseminate its results in national and international technical and scientific congresses and also national and international technical journals. (AU)