Disturbed Lands Research Articles

Effects of pipeline and well‐pad reclamation on topsoil properties: A meta‐analysis

AbstractThe development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking has led to an increase in oil and natural gas extraction. Development of infrastructure to extract and transport these resources is expected to increase over the next few decades, resulting in extensive land disturbance. Although reclamation aims to sufficiently return disturbed lands to their pre‐disturbance use in an ecological sense, reclaimed rights‐of‐ways (ROW) commonly produce reduced crop yields. The objective of this study was to use meta‐analysis to determine soil disturbance trends across studies found in the peer‐reviewed literature. Papers that reported soil property data on disturbed ROWs and adjacent undisturbed sites were retrieved by searching the Web of Science database. Papers were separated by climate regions, resulting in analyses being conducted for studies in semiarid and humid climate regions. Results indicate that soil bulk density, soil organic matter, and pH are significantly increased on reclaimed ROWs. Soil metrics not incorporated in meta‐analysis due to insufficient observations or the possible presence of publication biases like a desire to publish significant results and poor study design (cation exchange capacity, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, total nitrogen, electrical conductivity, sodium, sodium adsorption ratio, and texture) are assessed and discussed. Best management practices gleaned from studies incorporated into meta‐analysis are discussed to provide strategies to limit soil property disturbances.

GOVERNMENT CONSISTENCY IN ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATIONS REGARDING MINERAL AND COAL MINING RELATED TO MINE RECLAMATION

Reclamation is an activity that aims to improve or manage the use of disturbed land as a result of mining business activities so that it can function and have the power to function according to its designation. excavated. For this reason, the government has issued Government Regulation Number 78 of 2010 concerning Post-Mining Reclamation Decree and Regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Number 26 of 2018 concerning Implementation of Good Mining Principles and Supervision of Mineral and Coal Mining. The purpose of issuing these two regulations is very clear, so that the negative impacts of mining activities can be reduced or even eliminated. Various productive efforts on ex-mining land by carrying out reclamation and utilizing it as an ecotourism area. Utilizing part of it as a fish farming pond and the rest being used as a model of a biological conservation forest with proboscis monkeys and various kinds of birds as the key space is one of the efforts to restore nature's preservation. The research method used is normative or doctrinal legal research. Normative legal research or doctrinal legal research, which is also referred to as library research or document study, is research that is carried out or aimed only at studying written regulations or other legal materials. The result of research reclamation is an activity to restore the ecosystem so that it can function again as before. While Post-mining Activities are activities to repair ex-mining land to restore environmental functions and social functions according to local conditions throughout the mining area.

What follows fallow? Assessing revegetation patterns on abandoned sugarcane land in Hawaiʻi

Millions of hectares of agricultural land have been abandoned globally in recent decades, presenting opportunities for secondary vegetation growth and restoration. While abandoned fields have the potential to return to ecological communities with similar species diversity to their pre-agricultural state, they alternatively may transition to novel ecosystems or persist in degraded states that may have alternative functions that impact ecological and human communities. Yet we lack an understanding of how vegetation naturally recovers on disturbed lands. Using remote sensing and land survey data, we characterized the structure, composition, and function of secondary vegetation canopies on former sugarcane fields in Hawaiʻi that were abandoned between 4 and 117 years ago. We used a species distribution model to identify patches of uncultivated land with similar environmental conditions to abandoned sugarcane fields to serve as reference ecosystems. Using these reference ecosystems, we evaluated how secondary ecosystems at different ages since abandonment compare in terms of canopy structure, composition, and function. Grasses were prevalent in the years immediately following abandonment, but shrubs and trees dominated canopy structure on fields that had been abandoned more than 20 years. Non-native species constituted most of the secondary vegetation, but native vegetation cover increased on sugarcane fields that had been abandoned longer than 25 years. Secondary vegetation recovered canopy functional traits in ≤ 53 years since abandonment. Completely recovering the structural properties of reference ecosystems would require over a century. Abandoned sugarcane fields are unlikely to recover the native composition of reference ecosystems through unassisted vegetation recovery. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature that characterizes whether and when the globally increasing area of abandoned agricultural land may passively recover, which can direct restoration efforts on abandoned lands to enhance ecosystem services or guide alternative management to achieve socio-cultural objectives.

A NOVEL METHODOLOGY FOR THE AUTOMATIC ACQUISITION OF REAL FOREST FIRE DATASETS OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME

Abstract. Forest areas or green infrastructure have become a fundamental economic and social factor which has made it possible to generate new sources of employment and to maximize the use of basic resources. Nevertheless, good conservation of this type of infrastructure is a challenge. This is due to the problems deriving from, on the one hand, the increase of its physical scope and, on the other, poor management or no management at all. The Spanish region of Galicia is a historic place of natural wealth, especially concerning forest resources, wherein 2/3 of its territory is forest area from where more than half of the Spanish wood supply comes.This paper seeks to create a mapping of major forest fire disturbances on the Galician territory over extended periods of time. To achieve this, an automated multitemporal detection process based on vegetation indices and unsupervised learning is developed. The objective is to obtain data heterogeneity in terms of vegetation state, land use, and image properties, allowing a better understanding of forest land disturbances and improving their management.

Study of Succession Processes on Frozen Lignin-containing Sediments of OAO "Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill" and Soils Obtained on the Basis thereof

The dynamics and efficiency of the use of frozen lignin-containing deposits of the pulp and paper industry and soils obtained on the basis thereof for the intensified reclamation succession of disturbed lands were analyzed. It was proved that over a four-year experimental period, an active process of self-overgrowing occurs with a change and an increase in the species diversity of phytocenoses with the stabilization of chemical and agrochemical composition of dumps of frozen lignin-containing sediments and soils as per the norme of GOST 54534-2011 “Resource saving. Sewage sludge. Requirements for disturbed lands for reclamation”.

Implications of fire-induced evapotranspiration shifts for recharge-runoff generation and vegetation conversion in the western United States

Wildfire has been shown to increase, decrease, or have no detectable effect on actual evapotranspiration (ETa) fluxes in the western United States. Where disturbance-induced shifts are significant, source-water hydrology may be impacted as ETa constitutes the largest outgoing water flux in much of the arid West. We conducted pixel-scale analysis of 30-m ETa data and various meteorologic and landscape variables at 13 burn scars to understand how wildfire disturbance impacted hillslope-to-burn scar-scale hydrology and vegetation conversion. Significant fire-induced ETa reductions (between approximately −15 to −50%) were detected at nine burn scars through the tenth post-fire year, while ETa recovery rate varied substantially by ecoregion and pre-fire vegetation type. Along elevation gradients, both climate and land disturbance influenced the location of runoff/recharge generation zones, and more net water was generated from a snow-dominated burn scar in dry post-fire years than in wet pre-fire years. However, especially in arid locations where ETa is water-limited, compensatory ETa pathways may be more likely to dampen fire effects on total basin water yield where intact vegetation is located between the disturbance footprint and the basin outlet. Relationships between post-fire ETa shifts and early-successional vegetation conversion were also tracked. The majority of burn scars with significant fire-induced ETa reductions experienced conversion patterns typical of the western United States following stand-replacing disturbance, with forests converting to shrub/scrub and/or grassland/herbaceous cover through at least the end of the study period (eight to 15 years depending on date of the fire event). This could have important implications for high-elevation, snow-dominated watersheds – some of the most critical source water areas - as previous research indicates that wildfire activity is moving upslope and into vegetation communities that have not evolved to withstand fire. Finally, we show that much of the Colorado River Basin’s high-yield source water areas are vulnerable to the fire-induced ETa reductions and vegetation conversion observed herein. As such, water managers in the Colorado River Basin can anticipate changes in burn scar hydrology and snowpack mechanics following fire disturbance.

Effectiveness of land use and disturbance measures, compared to climate, soil, and topography, for modeling relative abundances of tree species in the eastern United States

Environmental factors control species distributions and abundances, but effectiveness of land use and disturbance variables for modeling species generally is unknown compared to climate, soil, and topography variables. Therefore, I used predictor variables from categories of 1) land use and disturbance, 2) climate, and 3) soil, topography, and wind speed to model the relative abundances (i.e., percentage of all trees) of 65 common tree species in the eastern United States, with a contrast to presence-absence models of species distributions. First, I modeled variables within each category to identify the five most important variables. Then, I combined variables from each category to isolate most important variables, based on five model combinations of input variables from each category, ranging from one (i.e., three total) to five (i.e., 15 total) variables. From the five models of combined categories for each tree species, I identified the model with the greatest R2 value. Overall, climate variables were most important for tree species models with one and two input variables from each category, but land use and disturbance variables were most important for models with three to five input variables from each category. Although a range of R2 values occurred by species and number of input model variables, 32 species had best models with greatest R2 values of 0.50 to 0.81. For all best species models, the most important variables were temperature of the warmest quarter, historical fire return interval for all fires, agricultural area during years 1850 to 1997, and precipitation of the driest month. Current land cover classes, which are accessible and the most commonly modeled land use variables, were not important for modeling tree species abundances or distributions. Climate variables were most important for modeling species distributions. Results support the concept that while climate sets soft boundaries on distributions, relative abundances within distributions are affected by other filters. Future modeling may establish other important land use and disturbance variables, or refinements within the important variables of historical fire return interval and agricultural area over time, advancing integration of both land use and climate variables into studies.

An Adjusted Landscape Ecological Security of Cultivated Land Evaluation Method Based on the Interaction between Cultivated Land and Surrounding Land Types

Because the relationship between cultivated land and the surrounding land types is not taken into account, there existed a deviation in the assessment of cultivated landscape ecological security. A novel methodology assessing the cultivated landscape ecological security is presented in this study, in the grid scale adjusted cultivated landscape ecological security index by the cultivated land disturbance index and the surrounding environment index. This method was applied in Xintai City, Shandong Province. The results demonstrate that (1) between 1985 and 2015, there was a constant loss of 173.2 km2 cultivated land, the bulk of which was converted to building land, primarily on the outskirts of cities. (2) The landscape ecological security of cultivated land has decreased; the bulk of high-risk grids are located in central metropolitan areas and mining districts, and have a tendency to spread out over time. (3) We applied a three–dimensional model to generate a spatial combination of cultivated land and presented zoning suggestions for regional cultivated land use and management. This assessment technique reduces errors that may occur when relying solely on landscape features for cultivated ecological security evaluation. The evaluation’s results more accurately reflect the impact of human activity and urban growth, are more consistent with local features, and have a higher quality of reference value.

Evaluasi tingkat keberhasilan reklamasi lahan bekas tambang timah di PT Timah Tbk

PT Timah Tbk has operated tin mining for ± 45 years. The ratio between disturbed land reclaimed by PT Timah Tbk indicated a bad ratio. The study aims to analyze and evaluate the land reclamation of former tin mines in Air Jangkang Sinar Rembulan Hamlet. The reclamation is important in that beneficial for the ecologycal, social and economic community. The Decree of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources No. 1827K/30/MEM/2018 were reformed. The evaluation was done by comparing the plan and implementationn data. Apparently, the overall reclamation were good in that of backfilling 89%, spreading of top soil 93%, erosion and sedimentation 83%, planting 90%, acid mine water 92%, header closing 100% and maintenance 82%. Canopy cover mine 90%.

THE PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF UTILIZATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE AND RECLAMATION OF DISTURBED LANDS IN THE NORTH-WEST OF RUSSIA AND WAYS TO SOLVE THEM JOINTLY

This review article raises the related issue of disturbed land reclamation and sewage sludge disposal. One of the components of disturbed land reclamation is considered - the problem of obtaining the most accessible and cheap fertile soil layer in sufficient quantity, options are listed: natural humus horizon; substrates based on peat of varying degrees of decomposition, based on wood waste from logging and woodworking, based on composts (leaf litter, agricultural waste, other). The main emphasis is placed on substrates based on municipal sewage sludge and pulp and paper mill waste, on the basis of which, during processing, organo-mineral compositions can be obtained with their further use as fertile soil layer. Gaps are noted in the modern regulatory framework, especially in relation to the use of sewage sludge as a fertile soil layer for the reclamation of disturbed land, including on forest fund lands. As an example, the situation with the use and disposal of sewage sludge in the Northwestern Federal District was considered based on data on the volume of waste production at existing wastewater treatment plants. Three categories of sewage sludge are distinguished by composition and two main methods of disposal currently used (incineration and removal to municipal service waste landfills). Separately, attention is focused on the situation with the accumulation of sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants in settlements, including those with a pulp and paper mill as a city-forming enterprise. In conclusion, conclusions are drawn about the need to improve the existing regulatory framework in terms of the use of sewage sludge for the purposes of reclamation, about the priority of developing organo-mineral compositions that meet the tasks of reclamation, giving them an official status, and about the advisability of developing a strategic state document aimed at regulating the issues of reclamation of disturbed lands: the relevance of which is confirmed by the annual increasing areas, passing into the category of disturbed land.

Determining the Safe Distance for Mining Equipment Operation When Forming an Internal Dump in a Deep Open Pit

In the surface mining of mineral deposits, land resources suitable for agricultural purposes are inappropriately spent in large volumes. When mining deep open pits, overburden rocks are mainly transported to the surface. The optimal solution for reducing the area of disturbed lands is the placement of overburden rocks in internal dumps in the open pit. This is especially suitable when mining a mineral deposit with several open pits where at least one of them is depleted. Therefore, it is important to assess the feasibility of building an internal dump, based on the stability parameters of its slopes and the safe distance for placing mining equipment within its boundaries, which was the focus of this research. Numerical modeling with Slide 5.0 software was used to determine the stability of the dump slope inside the open pit and the safe distance from the upper slope edge for placing mining equipment. This reflected the geomechanical situation occurring within the boundaries of the dump formed in the open-pit field with a high degree of reliability. It was determined that the maximum standard safety factor values of the open-pit slopes are within the limits when the overburden rocks border on the hard bedrock (Ks.s.f ≥ 1.2). Under the condition where the dump slope bordered on sedimentations represented by clays, loams, and sands with a strength of 2–3 on the Mohs scale, the safety factor decreased by 22%. It was determined that the minimum safe distance from the outer contour of the dragline base to the upper edge of a single-tier dump was 15.5 m with a safety factor of 1.21. The maximum safe distance values in the range of 73.5–93 m were concentrated within the boundaries of sections 5–9, with a safety factor from 1.18 to 1.28. When the dragline was located within the boundaries of section 7, the dump construction works should be conducted only if the dump exist for up to 3 years. Based on the identified parameters, on the example of using the ESH-11/70 walking dragline, a technological scheme of its operation was developed with the allocation of safe boundaries for its placement when forming an internal dump. The results obtained are useful for the development of projects for the reclamation of depleted open pits.

Microorganisms for Bioremediation of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals.

Heavy-metal contaminants are one of the most relevant problems of contemporary agriculture. High toxicity and the ability to accumulate in soils and crops pose a serious threat to food security. To solve this problem, it is necessary to accelerate the pace of restoration of disturbed agricultural lands. Bioremediation is an effective treatment for agricultural soil pollution. It relies on the ability of microorganisms to remove pollutants. The purpose of this study is to create a consortium based on microorganisms isolated from technogenic sites for further development in the field of soil restoration in agriculture. In the study, promising strains that can remove heavy metals from experimental media were selected: Pantoea sp., Achromobacter denitrificans, Klebsiella oxytoca, Rhizobium radiobacter, and Pseudomonas fluorescens. On their basis, consortiums were compiled, which were investigated for the ability to remove heavy metals from nutrient media, as well as to produce phytohormones. The most effective was Consortium D, which included Achromobacter denitrificans, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Rhizobium radiobacter in a ratio of 1:1:2, respectively. The ability of this consortium to produce indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-butyric acid was 18.03 μg/L and 2.02 μg/L, respectively; the absorption capacity for heavy metals from the experimental media was Cd (56.39 mg/L), Hg (58.03 mg/L), As (61.17 mg/L), Pb (91.13 mg/L), and Ni (98.22 mg/L). Consortium D has also been found to be effective in conditions of mixed heavy-metal contamination. Due to the fact that the further use of the consortium will be focused on the soil of agricultural land cleanup, its ability to intensify the process of phytoremediation has been studied. The combined use of Trifolium pratense L. and the developed consortium ensured the removal of about 32% Pb, 15% As, 13% Hg, 31% Ni, and 25% Cd from the soil. Further research will be aimed at developing a biological product to improve the efficiency of remediation of lands withdrawn from agricultural use.

Dynamics of soil bio-physicochemical properties under different disturbance regimes in sal forests in western Himalaya, India

Disturbance is a key factor in controlling vegetation diversity, nutrient influx rate, and biochemical cycling in terrestrial forest ecosystems. Limited studies are available on changes in tree diversity, soil nutrients and enzyme activities in response to different intensities of land disturbances in the Himalayan forests. Present study investigated the impact of varying intensities of disturbances on tree diversity and their relationship with soil physical and bio-chemical properties in sal forests, Western Himalayas. Sites were categorized into four different classes of disturbances, namely, No disturbance (ND), Low disturbance (LD), Moderate disturbance (MD), and High disturbance (HD). Composite samples were collected at two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm) in each plot to investigate soil physical and biochemical properties. Multivariate analyses were conducted to find relationship between tree vegetation and soil physical and biochemical properties. Soil organic carbon (Corg), total nitrogen (Nttl), available phosphorous (Pavl), microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), nitrogen (Nmic), phosphorous (Pmic), and enzymes (dehydrogenase (DHA), Urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase) followed the order: MD > ND > LD > HD. Across disturbances, soil physical and biochemical characteristics significantly (p < 0.05) decreased with increasing soil depths. Across the sites, positive correlation was observed among soil microbial biomass, enzymes, Corg, clay, and moisture. Redundancy analysis (RDA) results revealed that species distribution is essential regulator in the variation of prominent soil variables, viz., nutrients (Nttl and Pavl), Cmic, and DHA across disturbance categories and soil depths. Moreover, variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that changes in vegetation composition across disturbance levels explain 13.12 % of the variation in soil biochemical subset higher than soil physicochemical subset. The result illustrated that moderate disturbance increases species composition, soil nutrient properties and microbial activity. These findings would help understand microbial activity and its relationship with disturbances, suggesting site-specific measurements for soil nutrient availability and above-below ground interactions.

Evaluating extremophilic microorganisms in industrial regions

Abiotic and biotic stresses have a major impact on crop growth. Stress affects the root system and decreases the amount of nutrients in fruits. Modern agricultural technologies help replace mineral fertilizers with new generation biopreparation. Unlike chemical fertilizers, biofertilizers reduce the risk of adverse environmental impacts. Of special interest are extremophilic microorganisms able to survive in extreme conditions. We aimed to study the phytostimulating ability of extremophilic bacteria isolated from disturbed lands in the coal-mining region.&#x0D; We isolated microorganisms from disturbed lands and studied their cultural, morphological, and biochemical properties. Then, we determined their ability to synthesize indole-3-acetic acids. The extremophilic bacteria were identified and subjected to biocompatibility testing by co-cultivation. Next, we created consortia of pure cultures and analyzed biomass growth. Finally, the biopreparation was experimentally tested on Trifolium prantense L. seeds.&#x0D; We isolated 10 strains of microorganisms that synthesized 4.39 to 16.32 mg/mL of indole-3-acetic acid. The largest amounts of the acid were produced by Pantoea spp., Enterococcus faecium, Leclercia spp., Rothia endophytica, and Klebsiella oxytoca. A consortium of Pantoea spp., E. faecium, and R. endophytica at a ratio of 1:1:1 produced the largest amount of indole-3-acetic acid (15.59 mg/mL) and accumulated maximum biomass. The addition of 0.2% L-tryptophan to the nutrient medium increased the amount of indole-3-acetic acid to 18.45 mg/mL. When the T. prantense L. seeds were soaked in the biopreparation (consortium’s culture fluid) at a concentration of 2.5, the sprouts were 1.4 times longer on the 10th day of growth, compared to the control.&#x0D; The consortium of Pantoea spp., E. faecium, and R. endophytica (1:1:1) stimulated the growth of T. prantense L. seeds. Our findings can be further used to develop biofertilizers for agriculture.

Measuring ground surface elevation changes in a slow-moving colluvial landslide using combinations of regional airborne lidar, UAV lidar and UAV photogrammetric surveys

Slow-moving, chronically destructive landslides are projected to grow in number globally in response to precipitation increases from climate change, and land disturbances from wildfire, mining and construction. In the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky metropolitan area, USA, landslides develop in colluvium that covers the steep slopes along the Ohio River and its tributaries. Here we quantify elevation changes in a slow-moving colluvial landslide over 14 years using county-wide lidar, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) structure-from-motion (SfM) surveys and a UAV lidar survey. Because the technology and quality differ between surveys, the challenge was to calculate a threshold of detectable change for each survey combination. We introduce two methods; the first uses propagated elevation difference errors and the second back-calculates the individual survey errors. Thresholds of detection range from ±0.05 to ±0.20 m. Record rainfall in 2011 produced the largest vertical changes. Since then, the landslide toe has continued to deform, and the landslide has doubled its width by extending into a previously undisturbed slope. Although this study presents a technique to utilize older datasets in combination with modern surveys to monitor slow-moving landslides, it is broadly applicable to other studies where topographic data of differing quality are available.

Biological reclamation of disturbed agricultural lands in the Volgograd Trans-Volga region

Earthworks, such as mining, construction, laying pipes for various purposes and other activities, result in the loss of ecological systems, particularly soil cover integrity. Land reclamation allows for the establishment of a fertile soil layer, soil structure, and the accumulation of humus and other nutrients up to the level of fertility that existed before the violation. The article presents a comparative analysis of the main indicators of soil fertility of agricultural lands (pasture, hayfield, arable land) in its natural state and in the disturbed one caused by the overhaul of the main gas pipeline. The purpose of the research conducted in 2020 was in the dry-steppe zone of chestnut soils of the Volgograd region to analyze the indicators of fertility of agricultural lands that are in their natural state and subject to reclamation with an estimation of restoration costs. To characterize the level of soil fertility, the main indicators of fertility have been considered: particle size distribution, content of organic matter (humus), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S) and pH, which reliably characterized soil fertility in the given soil-climatic conditions of the dry steppe zone of the Volgograd region. As a result of the estimation, it was found that the cost of restoring 1 ha of arable land made 2607.13 euro, and the cost of restoring 1 ha of pasture (haymaking) reached 2096.62 euro.

Efficiency of use of organic and organomineral fertilizers with humic acids in the composition

Global food security is threatened by extreme climate events, deterioration of the ecological and geopolitical situation, a difficult geopolitical situation, and disruption of supply chains. Therefore, issues related to increasing the productivity of agricultural crops, restoring disturbed lands, and increasing soil fertility come to the fore. The results of the work on the determination of physicochemical properties and biological activity for liquid humic-containing organic and organomineral fertilizers, which are produced on an industrial scale, are presented. Experiments were also carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of their application. For the study, samples of liquid organic and organomineral fertilizers containing humic substances and intended for use on private farms were selected. The following samples were tested: determination of the yield of free humic acids, determination of the ash content of humic acids, determination of the alkali content, determination of solubility in water, determination of biological activity. All samples allow you to get the effect of a biological plant growth stimulator. This indicates the great potential of humic substances in the composition of organic and organomineral fertilizers when used in agriculture in order to increase productivity. The highest performance in the totality of all the studied indicators has a sample that was obtained during the processing of brown coal.

Livestock removal increases plant cover across a heterogeneous dryland landscape on the Colorado Plateau

Livestock removal is increasingly used as a management option to mitigate the negative impacts of grazing-related disturbances on rangelands. Removal generally increases plant cover, but it is unclear when, where, and by how much plant and soil cover changes can be expected. On the Colorado Plateau, complex geology, topography, soils, and climate all interact to mediate the relationship between land cover, climate, and disturbance. In this study we used new developments in land cover mapping and analysis to assess landscape plant and bare soil cover up to 30 years after livestock removal from two grazing allotments in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. Results indicate that livestock removal increases plant cover 0.17%–0.32% per year and reduces bare soil cover 0.34%–0.41% per year, although these rates may be suppressed by warming temperatures. Soils, assessed through soil geomorphic units, played a strong but complex role in mediating land cover changes through time. These results suggest that livestock removal is an effective strategy for increasing plant cover and reducing bare soil on the Colorado Plateau, but including soil information in decision making will enhance efficiency by improving manager’s ability to prioritize management actions effectively across space and through time.

Development of projects for recultivation of lands using GIS technologies

The necessity of reclamation of disturbed lands as a result of mining is substantiated. Disturbed lands lose all economic importance. In addition, they are a source of pollution of soil and air in the adjacent territories, worsen the living conditions of the population and the appearance of the landscape. The technique of drawing up the working projects for the recultivation of disturbed lands as a result of mining by using the GIS software “Panorama” is considered. The use of this software reduces the time needed to complete a project, reduces the costs and improves the accuracy of project calculations. The use of the technique is shown by the example of the recultivation of disturbed lands in the “Kushbulak” plot of the Karakhtay field. Agricultural reclamation with restoration of pastureland use is recommended. It is planned to create a beach zone with a 30 cm layer of sand in the far northwestern section. It is planned to fill the bottom of the quarry with soil to the design level and create a terrace, as well as work on the land area with a fertile soil layer of 20 cm and planning the surface. The efficiency of reclamation in parallel with the use of a mineral deposit is substantiated.

Peculiarities of Colonization of Rock Waste Disposal Area with Vegetation at the Kizelovsky Coal Deposit

The paper presents the study results of the rock waste disposal area colonization with vegetation at the Kizelovsky coal deposit according to remote sensing data of the Earth and calculations of the vegetation index NDVI for the Perm Territory. It was determined that natural colonization of disturbed lands were taking place. An increase in the average values of vegetation for the studied dumps in the period 1986–2021 was revealed which is primarily due to the cessation of mining in the territory under consideration.