Mountain Land Research Articles

Stygofauna of Oman, 8. The Thermosbaenacea collected during the biological groundwater survey of Oman of 1996

Abstract Four species of the thermosbaenacean genus Tethysbaena Wagner, 1994 are described from Oman as T. barbatula n. sp., T. tristani n. sp., T. cryptofallax n. sp. and T. spec. from four isolated groundwater aquifers north and south of the Hajar Mountains in the north and two small isolated aquifers near Salalah and Marbat in the south. It is suggested that the speciation into these separate species is due to regressions of the Tethys Sea. The rising of dry land (mountain ridges) some time at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary would have constituted major barriers for isolated populations of the ancestral species. Not only morphological differences support the specific division into species, also the results of a DNA analysis from an earlier study by Cánovas et al. (2016) clearly support the present division into two localized, isolated species in the southern part of Oman.

Comparative assessment of farmers’ perceptions on drought impacts: the case of a coastal lowland versus adjoining mountain foreland region of northern Iran

Agricultural activities are considered the most important source of income for ~ 23% of the population in Mazandaran Province, Iran. However, farming activities are overwhelmingly exposed to the detrimental impacts of drought in this region. The purpose of this paper is to establish differences in farmers’ perceptions on the effects of drought on social, economic, and environmental activities between coastal lowland and inland mountain foreland regions. Our research focuses on rural farming communities residing in the towns of Chalus (coastal plain adjacent to the Caspian Sea) and Kelardasht (Alborz mountain foreland). In 2019, questionnaires were distributed to villagers, and subsequently completed by household heads. Sample size was determined using Cochran, with 384 responses per sub-region. Results obtained by statistical analyses using SPSS indicate that farmers in the coastal region perceived stronger drought impacts on food security, agriculture, economy, education, immigration, and the natural environment than those in the adjoining mountainous region. The study demonstrates how location over relatively small distance, but different in topography, distance from the coast, climate, infrastructural development, and societal factors, has profound impact of people’s perceptions to, and experiences of, drought in northern Iran.

A Review of Changes in Mountain Land Use and Ecosystem Services: From Theory to Practice

Global changes impact the human-environment relationship, and, in particular, they affect the provision of ecosystem services. Mountain ecosystems provide a wide range of such services, but they are highly sensitive and vulnerable to change due to various human pressures and natural processes. We conducted a literature survey that focused on two main issues. The first was the identification of quantitative methods aimed at assessing the impact of land use changes in mountain regions and the related ecosystem services. The second was the analysis of the extent to which the outcomes of these assessments are useful and transferable to stakeholders. We selected papers through a keyword-driven search of the ISI Web of Knowledge and other international databases. The keywords used for the search were mountain land use change and ecosystem service. Quantitative approaches to ecosystem service assessment rely on suitable indicators, therefore land use/land cover can be used as an appropriate proxy. Landscape metrics are a powerful analytical tool; their use can increase the accuracy of assessments and facilitate the mitigation of specific phenomena, such as fragmentation or the reduction of core habitat areas. Mapping is essential: it is the basis for spatial analyzes and eases the interactions between stakeholders. Land use/land cover change is a temporal process, so both past and future approaches are meaningful. It is necessary to enhance information transfer from theory to practice. Increasing stakeholder awareness can lead to suitable management solutions, and, reciprocally, stakeholder feedback can help improve current assessment methodologies and contribute to developing new tools that are suitable for specific problems.

Role of the Regime of Ecosystem Use in the Variability Structure of Some Seed Productivity Traits of Mongolian Milkvetch, an Endemic Plant of the Republic of Dagestan

A comparative analysis and an evaluation of the structure of variability have been carried out for eight (dimensional, numerical, weight, and index) seed productivity traits of two populations of Mongolian milkvetch (Astragalus fissuralis Alexeenko (Fabaceae)) growing at two different altitudes (1100 and 1750 m above sea level) in the middle mountain belt of the Inland Mountain Dagestan. This vegetatively mobile dwarf shrub is included in the Red Books of Russia and the Republic of Dagestan. The study was arranged at the population level. Total statistics, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance were used to determine and evaluate differences in the average values of the studied traits and the impact of an anthropogenic factor (ecosystem-use regime) on the variability of those seed productivity traits directly related to the adaptive strategy. Under relatively unfavorable natural conditions, plants of this rare species form short pods that usually have one or two seeds, in contrast to introducers. At the same time, the proportion of weight traits related to the adaptive (reproductive) strategy and reproductive-effort efficiency (seed weight, weight of seeds in a pod, and the percentage of seed weight directly intended for the reproduction process) is higher in the natural environment than under the conditions of protected areas. However, it was noted that the plants in the more favorable conditions of experimental plots located at two experimental bases of the Mountain Botanical Garden (Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences) develop their vegetative mass and increase their size (pod length) and number (number of relatively lightweight and small seeds). As a result, changes in weight characteristics, such as increased seed weight, are observed. In other words, the introduction of plants increases of pod size, while the weights of pods and seeds increase under natural conditions. The ecosystem-use regime significantly impacts the variability of reproductive traits; the strength of such impact varies from 23.6 to 79.3%.

Landscape-based fire scenarios and fire types in the Ayllón massif (Central Mountain Range, Spain), 19th and 20th centuries

Wildfires have been a major landscape disturbance factor throughout history in inland mountain areas of Spain. This paper aims to understand the interaction of fire regimes and landscape dynamics during the last two centuries within a socio-spatial context. The study area selected for this historical and spatial analysis is the Ayllón massif, in the Central Mountain Range. The theoretical background used to identify the driving forces of fire regime changes over the 19th and 20th centuries in this mountain area includes landscape-based fire scenarios and fire-type concepts. Both concepts have been addressed in recent studies from a spatial planning and fire management approach in an attempt to understand current fire landscapes and wildfire risk. However, this is the first time that these concepts have been applied to show that both spatial and temporal scales are crucial for an understanding of the current wildfire panorama, and that fire history related to landscape dynamics is fundamental in socio-spatial differences in fire regimes.Four variables (fire history, land use, population and settlement system, and forest management) were assessed to define historical landscape-based fire scenarios, and three fire feature variables (fire extent, fire cause, and spatial distribution pattern) were considered to define historical fire-types. We found that the non-linear evolution of fire regimes during the 19th and 20th centuries was determined by fire-type changes according to landscape dynamics. Moreover, population and forest management have been the main driving forces of fire regime tipping points or pyrotransitions. This study validates the hypothesis that fire regime changes are the result of the interaction of fire history and landscape dynamics.

Stratigraphic architecture of Solander Basin records Southern Ocean currents and subduction initiation beneath southwest New Zealand

AbstractSolander Basin is characterized by subduction initiation at the Pacific‐Australia plate boundary, where high biological productivity is found at the northern edge of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Sedimentary architecture results from tectonic influences on accommodation space, sediment supply and ocean currents (via physiography); and climate influence on ocean currents and biological productivity. We present the first seismic‐stratigraphic analysis of Solander Basin based on high‐fold seismic‐reflection data (voyage MGL1803, SISIE). Solander Trough physiography formed by Eocene rifting, but basinal strata are mostly younger than ca. 17 Ma, when we infer Puysegur Ridge formed and sheltered Solander Basin from bottom currents, and mountain growth onshore increased sediment supply. Initial inversion on the Tauru Fault started at ca. 15 Ma, but reverse faulting from 12 to ca. 8 Ma on both the Tauru and Parara Faults was likely associated with reorganization and formation of the subduction thrust. The new seabed topography forced sediment pathways to become channelized at low points or antecedent gorges. Since 5 Ma, southern Puysegur Ridge and Fiordland mountains spread out towards the east and Solander Anticline grew in response to ongoing subduction and growth of a slab. Solander Basin had high sedimentation rates because (1) it is sheltered from bottom currents by Puysegur Ridge; and (2) it has a mountainous land area that supplies sediment to its northern end. Sedimentary architecture is asymmetric due to the Subtropical Front, which moves pelagic and hemi‐pelagic sediment, including dilute parts of gravity flows, eastward and accretes contourites to the shelf south of Stewart Island. Levees, scours, drifts and ridges of folded sediment characterize western Solander Basin, whereas hemi‐pelagic drape and secondary gravity flows are found east of the meandering axial Solander Channel. The high‐resolution record of climate and tectonics that Solander Basin contains may yield excellent sites for future scientific ocean drilling.

Assessment of Restoration Effects and Invasive Potential Based on Vegetation Dynamics of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) Plantation in Korea

During the period of Japanese occupation (1910–1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953), extensive areas of forest were severely degraded by over-harvesting and fire in Korea. In addition, intensive use of the forest-resources to obtain fuel, organic compost, livestock feed, and so on contributed to forest degradation. As a result, the South Korean government launched large-scale tree planting projects to reforest the denuded mountains particularly in the 1960s. This study aims to evaluate the restoration effects of the pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) plantations and further diagnose the invasive potential of the pitch pine. To arrive at the goals, we investigated the changes of vegetation and soil characteristics in different chronosequences in the pitch pine plantations and in native forests, which were selected as reference stands. Pitch pine plantations were usually planted on mountainous land, which is characterized by an elevation of below 300 m above sea level and a gentle slope below 20°. The species composition of the pitch pine forestations was different depending on the study site but tended to resemble that of the reference stands in the years after forestation. The species diversity showed an increasing trend in response to stand age. The frequency distribution of diameter classes of dominant tree species showed a trend for pitch pine plantations to succeed to native oak stands. A change in canopy profiles depending on stand age also proved the successional trend. The establishment and development of pitch pine plantations for reforestation contributed to erosion control and improved the physic-chemical properties of the soil and thus prepared a basis for the recovery of native vegetation. Such changes in vegetation and soil confirmed that the pitch pine plantations successfully achieved the restoration goals. On the other hand, mature pitch pine stands reproduced young pitch pine stands by self-seeding on the slopes of various sorts of roads including expressways. This shows that pitch pine is successfully established in Korea and thereby the species has been naturalized. However, the natural succession of pitch pine stands in Korea suggests that it is possible to introduce some exotic species for reforestation without resulting in uncontrolled invasion.

A multidisciplinary study of an exceptional prehistoric waste dump in the mountainous inland of Calabria (Italy): Implications for reconstructions of prehistoric land use and vegetation in Southern Italy

The mountainous inland of northern Calabria (Southern Italy) is known for its sparse prehistoric human occupation. Nevertheless, a thorough multidisciplinary approach of field walking, geophysical survey and invasive research led to the discovery of a major archaeological archive. This archive concerns a rich multi-phased dump, spanning about 3000 years (Late Neolithic to Late Imperial Roman Age) and holding two Somma-Vesuvius tephra. Of these, the younger is a distinct layer of juvenile tephra from the Pompeii eruption, while the older concerns reworked tephra from the Bronze Age AP2 eruption (ca. 1700 cal. yr BP). The large dump contains abundant ceramics, faunal remains and charcoal, and most probably originated through long-continued deposition of waste in a former gully like system of depressions. This resulted in an inversed, mound-like relief, whose anthropogenic origin had not been recognized in earlier research. The tephras were found to be important markers that support the reconstruction of the occupational history of the site. The sequence of occupational phases is very similar to that observed in a recent palaeoecological study from nearby situated former lakes (Lago Forano/Fontana Manca). This suggests that this sequence reflects the more regional occupational history of Calabria, which goes back to ca. 3000 BC. Attention is paid to the potential link between this history and Holocene climatic phases, for which no indication was found. The history deviates strongly from histories deduced from the few, but major palaeorecords elsewhere in the inlands of Southern Italy (Lago Grande di Monticchio and Lago Trifoglietti). We conclude that major regional variation occurred in prehistoric land use and its impacts on the vegetation cover of Southern Italy, and studies of additional palaeoarchives are needed to unravel this complex history. Finally, shortcomings of archaeological predictive models are discussed and the advantages of truly integrated multidisciplinary research.

Slopes of struggle: Coffee on Baba Budan hills

The history of Mysore coffee is inextricably linked to the mountainous inam lands of Baba Budan dargah situated atop eponymous hills. In the Malnad region of the Nagar Division in the seventeenth century grew probably the earliest coffee gardens of India. This paper examines the significance of the Baba Budan inam lands coffee in the development of the coffee economy of Mysore. The trajectory of coffee, a peasant and a plantation crop, was shaped by regulation and domination by the British administration and European planters and embedded resistance to this control. Native cultivators and the Baba Budan inamdars, as indigenous coffee growers, clashed with European planters over land and labour issues. Coffee was a profitable and popular cash crop, and natives dominated land and production in the colonial period. Competition, collusion and contestation laid the foundation of the two components of the coffee industry in Mysore—native and European.

Combined effects of moss crusts and pine needles on evaporation of carbonate-derived laterite from karst mountainous lands

The development of biocrusts and litter cover has been promoted by the vegetation restoration of karst mountainous lands in recent decades. However, the contribution of biocrust and litter to the karst terrestrial water cycle is still unclear. The interactive effects of moss crusts and pine needles on evaporation processes were explored by inserting microlysimeters (20 cm radius and 35 cm height) into the karst mountainous lands to collect undisturbed soils. Four moss crust biomass levels (0, 0.32, 0.64 and 0.96 kg m−2) and three pine needle biomass levels (0, 0.32 and 0.64 kg m−2) were used to estimate the influences of moss crusts and pine needles on evaporation losses and surface temperatures. In addition, the performances of two simplified evaporation concepts considering the interaction effects of moss crusts and pine needles were also assessed. The effect of pine needle cover on reducing evaporation rates was stronger than that of moss crusts. Moreover, the influences of moss crusts on the evaporation rate were obviously restricted by the higher biomass of pine needles, while the effects of pine needles on the evaporation rate were not highly affected by the moss crusts. Furthermore, thermal signatures showed that the pine needles had a much larger positive effect on the surface temperature (pr = 0.50) compared to the effect of the moss crusts (pr = 0.17). There was a significant relationship between the value of Ebare-soil/E0 and the mean soil water content SWCmean for bare soils. The predictive ability of the one-parameter concept (weighted average vegetation coefficient kc) was slightly better than that of the double-parameter concept (moss crust factor kMC and pine needle factor knp). The key ecohydrological role of ground cover in controlling evaporation cannot be neglected for karst mountainous land management and preventing rocky desertification.

Elevational Distribution of the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, in the Inland Mountain Area of Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, Japan.

Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures of Japan comprise an inland mountain area that extends widely north and south, with elevation varying greatly by location. Mosquitoes transmitting infectious disease have a diversity of habitats in Nagano and Yamanashi, and many species can be expected there. However, there have been few reports on mosquito fauna; in particular, little information is available on mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus. The mosquito fauna was investigated to clarify their elevational distribution ranging from 317 to 1,534 m, focusing especially on Ae. albopictus, in 24 areas in Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures from July to September in 2012-16. Adult mosquitoes were collected using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traps in each area, in addition to larval mosquito collections at several temple and shrine precincts in each area. At sites where elevations were >800 m (14 sites), no adult Ae. albopictus were captured. In addition, larval Ae. albopictus were not collected at elevations >728 m (15 sites). Aedes albopictus was captured at 20 other sites (annual mean air temperature ranged from 9.4 to 15.2°C, July-September mean air temperature ranged from 19.9 to 25.0°C).

HIGH ALTITUDE WETLANDS IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH: A REVIEW ON ITS IMPORTANCE AND WAY FORWARD FOR CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

Arunachal Pradesh (26° 40’- 29°27’N,91° 35’-97°24E), the land of the dawn-lit mountains is a region to the easternmost part of India. One of the most important biomes that this region has is the wetlands which if blessed with a healthy aquatic plants and animals. In a general term wetlands are water bodies which are inundated by large water body either permanently or seasonally. Arunachal Pradesh ranks second and has 2653 identified high altitude wetlands, after Jammu and Kashmir in number. Of all the wetlands, 1672 wetlands have more than 2.25 hectare of land areas according to National Wetland Inventory and Assessment, 2011. Wetlands are blessed with a sufficient area for flourishing high altitude with a splendid biodiversity of this part of region. In terms of ecological perspective these wetlands are very important and also from religious point of view. Many of the tribal communities residing here consider the wetland and lakes as sacred sites and are being used for different rituals. On the basis of altitude the wetlands of Arunachal Pradesh can be divided into High Altitude Wetlands and Low Altitude wetlands. In the recent times due to a high pressure for grazing grounds, exploitation of pristine forest resources, a high unregulated dumping of waste, soil and water pollution, different unauthorised construction for different developmental activities and settlement are some of the major threats being observed in the High Altitude Wetlands. An attempt will be made to identify high altitude lakes and wetlands in the state and its importance on the eastern Himalayan region. Moreover, special attention will be focused on conservation and management of high altitude wetlands from Govt side and NGOs.

Морфологический анализ аномалий пространственного распределения весенних запасов снега в горных территориях Евразии в период 2001–2019 гг.

Морфологический анализ аномалий пространственного распределения весенних запасов снега в горных территориях Евразии в период 2001–2019 гг.

To the Historical Geography of Ossetia: The Historical Region of Khokh

The present article advocates that the oronym Khokhis K’avk’asi “the Khokh Caucasus,” catalogued by the Georgian geographer Vakhushty in the beginning of the 18th century as the name for the Side Ridge in Central Ossetia, corresponds to the historical and geographical region of Khokh, known from the toponymic, folklore and ethnographic sources of the 20th century. The oronym Khokh (“mountain”) has left a distinctive mark in the works of the Ossetian writers — natives of that region. In South Ossetia, the same oronym applies to the Main Caucasian Ridge, which has urged the author to explain this inconsistency. Besides, the Nart Epic of the Ossets also speaks of a mountainous land Akhokhayi Khokh raided by the heroes. One of the sources of the 14th century mentions the Alan province Akhokhiya. As it is evident that both toponyms refer to the region Khokh, the author deeemed necessary to explain the recurrent initial element A- in them. The author refutes the version of its Circassian origin suggesting an etymological link with Proto-Iranian prefix *ā-, one of the meanings of which is that of the preposition “on.” The general meaning of the toponym A-Khokh is thus “upland.” A typological parallel to it is the Old Persian toponym *Ākaufaka ‘Kohistan’ that consists of the same prefix *ā-, Old Persian kaufa ‘mountain,’ and a suffix. As the prefix а- fell out of free use leaving its trail only in a number of etymologically obscure toponyms of Ossetia, A-Khokh (Akhokhiya) is one of the oldest toponyms correlating to the descriptive names of the Alan province Mons in terra Alanorum and montes Alanorum mentioned in the medieval sources.

Devils playground, Box Elder County

Why take your kids to the neighborhood playground, when you can visit a playground that inspires their sense of geologic adventure? Devils Playground is not your ordinary community playground, but a wonderland of granitic rock weathered into fantastic forms and weird shapes. Occupying an assortment of Bureau of Land Management, state, and private land in the Bovine Mountains, Devils Playground is a relatively unknown geologic curiosity found in a remote corner of northwestern Utah. Devils Playground is situated in the physiographic region known as the Great Basin province that extends across western Utah, Nevada, and to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California. The area is composed mostly of granitic rocks of the Emigrant Pass intrusion. A combination of granitic rock, faulting, and weathering under a semiarid climate created favorable conditions for the creation of Devils Playground. Desert plants such as sagebrush,Utah juniper, pinyon pine, Mormon tea, and cheatgrass are common throughout the area.

The Effect of Direct Payment on the Prevention of Farmland Abandonment: The Case of the Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan

Farmland exhibits multifunctionality by preventing flooding and soil erosion and providing social and cultural community comfort. All these functions are essential for sustainable rural development. However, the multifunctionality of farmland is decreasing worldwide because of an aging society, depopulation and income disparity between flat lands and hilly mountainous lands. Regarding the consequences of abandonment, abandonment is intimately linked with the wider issue of the stagnation of the rural economy. The direct payment policy for hilly mountainous land is aimed at restraining farmland abandonment through community-based activities. The panel data difference in differences (DID) estimator was employed to observe the effect of direct payments on the rate of restraining farmland abandonment at the municipality level of the Hokkaido prefecture in Japan for the period of 2005–2015. We estimated that the direct payment implementation provided a 2% effectiveness for restraining the increase in the rate of abandonment as the result of DID estimation. On the other hand, the age group of 65 years or older was negatively correlated with farmland abandonment, which contradicts the general understanding. Older farmers have relatively more interest in contributing to and preserving their community. Therefore, the direct payment can encourage them to participate more in their community preservation. From these results, we concluded that it is necessary to promote farmland consolidation to compensate for the lack of inheritors. In addition, providing direct payment for a well-organized community or active stakeholders can be an effective way of utilizing governmental budgets and sustaining rural development.

Spatial distribution of heavy metals in soil around municipal solid waste incinerators at coastal plain and inland mountainous region in China

Heavy metals released from incinerator stacks are considered as the potential sources in soils surrounding the MSWI plants. In this work, heavy metals in soils sampled at different sites around the two MSWI plants with different landforms and weather conditions, namely, windy coastal plain region in Eastern China and calm inland mountainous area in Western China, were investigated. The average concentrations of Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb in soils at the coastal plain region were 274.21, 1053.47, 58755.9, 37.38, 90.60 and 40.53 mg/kg, in comparison with those of 224.0, 658.99, 39960.3, 31.72, 33.91 and 70.98 mg/kg in soils at the inland mountain region, respectively. Principal component analysis showed that Mn and Fe were presentd as background origin in soils surrounding both the incinerators. Cu, Zn and Pb distributions in the two studied regions were influenced by human activities. The application of pesticides contributed to Cu and Zn contaminations in soils surrounding the coast plain incinerator. Furthermore, the application of pesticides and local traffic had impacts on Cu distributions in soils surrounding the inland mountain incineration plant. The study highlighted that Pb was an important environmental indicator of MSWI air contamination. The source identification and spatial distributions of Pb indicated that the extent of soil contamination by heavy metals in the vicinity of a MSWI was highly ascribed to the stack emission. Furthermore, the terrain and meteorological conditions had a significant effect on heavy metal pollution distributions.

Morphological and molecular identification with frequency analysis of Calicophoron microbothrioides in central Chile.

This research aimed to determine the presence of paramphistomids in cattle slaughtered in a slaughterhouse of the Ñuble Region of Chile, to identify flukes and to analyze the frequency of these parasites in the Maule, Ñuble, and Biobío administrative regions of Chile. Between October of 2016 and April of 2017, rumens of 494 cattle were examined for flukes in the forestomachs. Worms were identified morphologically and, in addition, molecular analysis of the internal transcriber spacer region 2 of the fluke's DNA was done and phylogenetic analyses were performed with Bayesian inference in 14 worms. The frequency was analyzed by locality (low- or highlands) and age. The overall frequency was 11.24%. The district with the highest frequency of presentation was Chillán Viejo (30.8%). Districts in the lowlands had similar frequencies to those in the mountain lands (p=0.1). The frequency of flukes was significantly higher in adult animals than in young ones (p<0.01). We obtained a 460 bp-length fragment of DNA that was identical to the sequences previously identified as Paramphistomum cervi and Calicophoron microbothrioides, and performed morphological analyses confirmed that our samples belonged to C. microbothrioides. This is the first published study of C. microbothrioides in Chile.

산지 읍면지역 소규모 마을습지 분포 특성 연구 - 충남 금산군을 사례로 -

This study was conducted to identify the distribution characteristics of small village wetlands in Geumsan County, an inland mountain zone, and comparing with Seocheon County, a coastal plain area with different ecological environment characteristics. Using Arc-GIS (v10.1) the village wetland code was extracted to derive the possible location of the village wetland, and the final distribution of the village was obtained by performing indoor judging work based on satellite images, aerial photographs, topographical maps, Korea Land Information System (KLIS), land use level, land cover degree (division), and land use status by local surveying and indoor analyzing. Although Geumsan County (576.66km²) is more than 60% larger than Seocheon County (358.04km²), 607 villages in Geumsan County and 570 villages in Seocheon County are capable of making similar levels of 106.5% of wetlands, but only a fraction of those in Seocheon County were found to be 67.6%. The density of the village wetlands was much lower than that of Seocheon County, a coastal plain area, because there were many mountainous areas in Geumsan County, and most of the wetlands temporarily created for water supply were removed during the analysis phase of the Jeongsa Image, so the actual wetlands of the village were judged to be only two-thirds different from those of Seocheon County.

Study on soil ecological environment restoration strategy of abandoned mining area

Mine ecological restoration is the current necessary step in the process of resources exploitation, so for the study of the mining area ecological restoration, ecological restoration of phosphate rock mountain lands after the ecological benefit evaluation, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and frequency analysis method to select the phosphate rock mountain land ecological benefit evaluation index, evaluated by calculation results shows that the calculation by using the underground runoff water conservation quantity is 11832.036 m3/a with water and soil conservation quantity of 14976.4 m3/a. If the area of vegetation broad-leaved forest that can be formed after ecological restoration in the mining area is 50.0 h m2 and the area of coniferous forest is 10.0 h m2, the blocking dust capacity can be obtained to be 832.11 t/a. The indirect economic value of water conservation, water and soil conservation, and environmental purification calculated by shadow engineering method is respectively 8791.6 yuan/a, 166.6 yuan/a, and 141458.7 yuan/a, and the environmental value of water purification is 13121.784 yuan/a, and the overall indirect economic benefit value is 1.64 105 yuan/a. The practice shows that the research index of ecological restoration strategy is more comprehensive and scientific, which provides another method for ecological environment restoration strategy of mining areas in China and promotes the sustainable development of ecological environment.