Restoration of surface mines: challenges of the third world from a first world perspective

Susie Irizarry19 April 2011Restoration Ecology

RESTORATION OF SURFACE MINES:

CHALLENGES OF THE THIRD WORLD FROM

A FIRST WORLD PERSPECTIVE

OUTLINE:SURFACE MINING

AFRICAN DIAMOND MINES

CHINESE PERSPECTIVEHIGGS AND THOMPSON

“The direct effects of mining activities can be unsightly landscape, loss of cultivated land, forest and pasture land, and the overall loss of production. The indirect effects can be multiple, such as soil erosion, air and water pollution, toxicity, geo-environmental disasters, loss of biodiversity, and ultimately loss of economic wealth (Li 2006)”

“The greatest threat to biodiversity is from surface mining (Carrick and Kruger 2007)”

SURFACE MINING

Colonial history led to international investment and control of land

Diamond rich lands occur along the western coast

Violence and poverty

Succulent Karoo BiomeOne of two semi-arid biodiversity hotspots

Large amount of endemics

Two case studies:Sperrgebeit, Namibia

Namaqualand, South Africa

AFRICAN DIAMOND MINES

MAP OF NAMIBIA

SUCCULENT KAR00 BIOME

Exclusion Policies – “Forbidden Zone”Namib Diamond Corporation purchase

Establishment of Sperrgebeit National Park

Lessons Learned: Public vs. private ownership Natural resource exploiting

SPERRGEBEIT, NAMIBIA

Government legislation: Minerals Act 50 (1991) and Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 (2002)

NAMAQUALAND, SOUTH AFRICA

Restoration Ecology research being conducted

Limiting autogenic factorsLocal knowledge of restoration

Ecological Restoration in China

“AMONG THESE TERMS

RECLAMATION CAN BEST DESCRIBE THE

RESTORATION PRACTICE IN

CHINA…”(LI 2006)

Population growth has been the primary motivation for restoration

As of 2004, China had 3.2 million hectares of land unavailable for use because of degradation by mining operations

Restoration occurs at a rate of 10-12% of the degraded land

CHINESE RESTORATION

THE PROBLEM:

SOLUTIONSGovernment policy

Investment in research

Conversion of land to agricultural uses

RELATED ISSUES

Lack of enforcement

Lack of integration

Unsafe practices and no testing for contamination

CHINESE RESTORATION

How do they fit together?

AFRICA, CHINA, HIGGS, AND THOMPSON?

HIGGS CONCEPTS Focal Restoration – more or

less embraced in case studies we’ve examined Nostalgia and narrative

continuity – Sperrgebeit National Park

Ecological integrity and historical fidelity – is it ethical to insist on these principles given the situations in these countries?

Wilderness as a theme? Colonization of the imagination?

FIRST WORLD MEETS THIRD WORLD

Nature = what exists outside of human intervention, yet restoration = act of human intervention in nature. Should we really focus on this definition of natural in these situations?

Metaphor of Healing may be appropriate in these discussionsHumility – regarding knowledge and controlRestraint – regarding pursuit of self-interestSensitivity – regarding to quirks of the systemRespect – for system itself

THOMPSON’S PERSPECTIVES

Just a thought…

LACK OF A POSITIVE SENSE OF PLACE

JUST MIGHT HELP THE PROGRESS OF

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

Barnard, P. , Brown, C . J . , Ja rv is , A. M. , & Robertson, A. 1998. Extending the Namib ian protected area network to safeguard hotspots of endemism and d ivers i ty. Biodivers i ty and Conservat ion 7 : 531-547.

Botha, M. S . , Carr ick , P. J . , & A l l sopp, N. 2008. Captur ing lessons f rom land-users to a id the development o f eco log ical restorat ion guide l ines for lowland Namaqualand. Bio log ica l Conservat ion 141 : 885-895.

Burke, A. 2007. Recovery in natura l ly dynamic environments: A case study from the Sperregebei t , Southern Afr ican Ar id Succulent Karoo. Environmental Management 40 : 635-648.

Gao, L . , Miao , Z . , Bai , Z . , Zhou, X . , Zhao, J . , & Zhu, Y. 1998. A case study of eco log ica l restorat ion at the X iaoyi Baux i te Mine, Shanxi Prov ince, China. Eco logica l Engineer ing 11 : 221-229.

Carr ick , P. J . , & Krüger , R. 2007. Restor ing degraded landscapes in lowland Namaqualand: Lessons f rom the min ing exper ience and f rom regional eco log ical dynamics . Journa l of Ar id Envi ronments 70 : 767-781.

L i , M. S . 2006. Ecolog ica l restorat ion of mineland w ith part icu lar re ference to the metal l i ferous mine waste land in China: A rev iew of research and pract ice . Science o f the Tota l Envi ronment 357 : 38-53.

Mitsch, W. J . , Yan, J . , & Cronk, J . K . 1993. Eco log ica l engineer ing – contrast ing exper iences in China w ith the West . Eco logica l Engineer ing 2 : 177-191.

Republ ic o f Namibia Min istry o f Env i ronment and Tour ism. 2008. Sperrgebei t Nat ional Park . Bu l let in [Onl ine] . 4 Apr i l 2011. <http: / /www.met.gov.na/Documents/Sperrgebiet%20Nat iona l%20Park .pdf>.

Wang, Y. , Dawson, R. , Han, D. , Peng, J . , L iu , Z . , & Ding, Y. 2001. Landscape ecologica l p lanning and design of degraded min ing land. Land Degradat ion & Development 12 : 449-459.

REFERENCES