Green mountains and water reappear mining area transformed into a scenic spot

After eight years of ecological restoration, Dabaoshan Mine in Guangdong Province is now "healing".

There is a long way to go

In the 21st century, China's mine management has achieved remarkable results. According to statistics, from 2001 to 2018, a total of 100.46 million hectares of land was restored, and 7,298 mines were restored in 2018.

In terms of restoration concept, various places have transitioned from the simple restoration of green in the past to the restoration of ecological functions. "Previously, the earliest method proposed for mine restoration was greening, and with the continuous deepening of greening work, it was further proposed to strengthen biodiversity protection." As the mining area expands and the nature changes, it is not enough to just stay in the biodiversity restoration stage, we must enter the ecological function restoration stage." Gao Jixi, distinguished professor of the School of Environment of Renmin University of China, believes that the ecological restoration of mines is not only the restoration of the natural ecosystem, but also the restoration of the economic and social systems matching the natural ecosystem, and the two systems must be interrelated and inseparable.

Although the state vigorously control the abandoned mines, the ecological restoration of mines is a long-term undertaking with a long way to go. Experts believe that for the ecological restoration of mines in China, it is also necessary to establish a more perfect land reclamation system, laws and regulations and a mature management system.

Zhou Jinjeng, director of the Ecological Civilization Research Center of Peking University, suggested that in the future, mine restoration should be fully from the macro and systematic perspective of "landscape, forest, sky, lake and grass are a life community", based on the "three axioms" of pollution control - no harm, nondiffusion, and full publicity, and the overall framework of mine restoration work should be formulated.