scholarly journals Forest restoration after alluvial gold mining can recover vegetation structure. A case study in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. e969
Author(s):  
Sergio Esteban Lozano-Baez ◽  
José Ignacio Barrera-Cataño ◽  
Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues ◽  
Yamileth Domínguez-Haydar ◽  
Paula Meli

Technical reclamation and spontaneous succession (passive restoration) are the two main approaches for restoring post-mining sites worldwide. Despite substantial differences between both approaches, little is known regarding how they differ in terms of ecological outcomes. We assessed and compared the vegetation structure and composition in one spontaneous succession forest that is 29 years old, two technically reclaimed forests that are 2 and 10 years old after alluvial gold mining, and one old-growth reference forest in northeastern Antioquia, Colombia. We sampled trees and saplings establishing three Modified-Whittaker Plots in each site. We measured tree basal area, canopy cover, vegetation height, tree density, and species richness. Vegetation structure and composition differed considerably among restoration approaches. Species richness was significantly greater in the spontaneous succession forest than at the other sites. Similarly, technical reclamation significantly increased the vegetation attributes after 10 years, reaching values similar to the reference forest. We underscore the importance of fast-growth planted species (Acacia mangium, Samanea saman, and Schizolobium parahyba) to revegetate mining degraded lands.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 2377-2394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibiana Betancur-Corredor ◽  
Juan Carlos Loaiza-Usuga ◽  
Manfred Denich ◽  
Christian Borgemeister

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Angel Muñiz-Castro ◽  
Guadalupe Williams-Linera ◽  
José María Rey Benayas

Secondary succession was studied in a Mexican cloud forest region along a chronosequence of 15 abandoned pastures (0.25–80 y). Our objective was to determine the effects of distance from the forest border on successional vegetation structure and woody species richness along the chronosequence. Vegetation structure similar to that of mature forests recovered over 40–50 y, both close to (0–10 m) and away from (40–50 m) the border. Total woody species richness was similar for both distances but species composition differed significantly. When primary forest species were analysed separately, basal area, height, abundance and richness were all significantly higher close to the forest border. Primary species such as Quercus spp. (barochorous-synzoochorous) and Carpinus caroliniana (anemochorous) had lower basal area, density and height away from the border than close to it. Secondary species such as Lippia myriocephala (anemochorous) and Myrsine coriacea (endozoochorous) did not differ in their rate of colonization between distances. The limitation of seed dispersal and establishment for primary woody species away from forest borders suggests that propagules need to be introduced to accelerate forest restoration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-124
Author(s):  
Bayu Winata ◽  
Basuki Wasis ◽  
Yadi Setiadi

Gold mining is a human activity with high environmental risk through its tailing, due to the heavy metals content. Lead (Pb) is one of dangerous heavy metals in the world, because its toxicity to organism and environment. Phytoremediation is a method to remove hazard pollutant from environment by using plant. Acacia mangium is fast growing and pioneer tree species which mostly grow on the secondary forest as well as marginal land. Usually, this species is used for revegetation on postmining land. Study on Pb effect to A. mangium is an important issue to support phytoremediation advancement as well as for forest restoration. This study aimed to analyze the effect of Pb with several levels toward the growth and adptability of A. mangium on the gold tailing. The results showed that Pb increment on tailing were significantly effect on the growth and adaptability of the plants. A. mangium showed a well performance even on 900 mg Pb/kg tailing with high tolerance index (TI > 100%). Moreover, this species had ability to accumulate Pb in the root higher than shoot tissue. A. mangium had a good potency as phitoremediant plant, also as revegetation plant on the marginal land, such as on the gold mining tailing. Key words: Acacia mangium, heavy metal, lead, phytoremediation, Pb


2021 ◽  
Vol 288 ◽  
pp. 112364
Author(s):  
Manuel Gabriel Velásquez Ramírez ◽  
Claudia Maribel Vega Ruiz ◽  
Ronald Corvera Gomringer ◽  
Martin Pillaca ◽  
Evert Thomas ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Santos de Araújo

Abstract:The present study aims to investigate the effects of vegetation structure (plant abundance and height) and soil characteristics (soil organic matter and macronutrients) on insect gall richness, and determine the extent to which these effects are mediated by the indirect effects of plant species richness. The study was performed in forty-nine 100-m2 savanna plots in Parque Nacional das Emas (Brazil) and sampled a total of 985 individual plants of 71 plant species and 97 insect gall morphotypes. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) induced the most insect galls (38.1%), and the plant family Myrtaceae had the greatest richness of insect gall morphotypes (16). Path analysis of plant abundance, plant height, soil macronutrients, soil organic matter and plant species richness explained 73% of insect gall richness. The results show that soil macronutrient quantity has a direct positive effect on insect gall richness, whereas plant abundance and plant height had only indirect positive effects on insect gall richness via the increase in plant species richness. These findings showed that both plant-related and environment-related factors are important to induce insect gall richness in Neotropical savannas, and that plant species richness should be taken into account to determine the richness of insect galls.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Chambi-Legoas ◽  
Daigard Ricardo Ortega Rodriguez ◽  
Francisco de Marques de Figueiredo ◽  
Joel Peña Valdeiglesias ◽  
Percy Amílcar Zevallos Pollito ◽  
...  

Context: Gold mining is the most destructive activity in the natural forests of the Madre de Dios region in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. Understanding the natural regeneration process of these degraded areas is necessary to develop forest restoration projects in such conditions.Aims: We aimed to evaluate forest recovery and identify the successional and structure patterns of vegetation governing natural regeneration over time.Methods: Structure, composition, richness, diversity, and successional status were evaluated in abandoned artisanal gold mine areas in Madre de Dios, southeastern Peru. Vegetation data were recorded in 61 plots of 250 m2 established in five sites varying from 1 to 19 years of abandonment. Vegetation in abandoned areas was compared with six undisturbed forests evaluated in previous inventories.Results: In the mining lands, tree density and basal area recovered quickly, while species richness and composition were slow. Forest recovery is an initial stage of transition from pioneer to early secondary species until at least 19 years after abandonment. The most abundant and frequent species were the fast-growing species Ochroma pyramidale and Cecropia engleriana. These species could be considered potential candidates to promote restoration plans. Pioneer species represented 63% of the number of species in plots of 1–4 years, 57% in plots of 5–7 years, and 50% in plots of 8–19 years. Early and late secondary species represented 34 and 16%, respectively, of the number of species in plots of 8–19 years. Abandoned mining and reference plots present less than 5% of species in common.Conclusion: Our results highlight a slow natural regeneration process in areas for up to 19 years after gold mining. Species from different successional statuses were identified as potential candidates for recovering vegetation in such areas. Our findings may have important implications for further research focusing on the ecological restoration in tropical forests severely degraded by gold mining.


2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Neves Godoi ◽  
Rudi Ricardo Laps ◽  
Danilo Bandini Ribeiro ◽  
Camila Aoki ◽  
Franco Leandro de Souza

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 00049
Author(s):  
Marina Tsyrenova ◽  
Evgenia Pyzhikova ◽  
Elena Vasilyeva

The article presents the results of a research study of anthropogenic affects of gold mining on forest landscapes in Northern Transbaikalia, Russia and processes of natural reclamation of vegetation cover of the disturbed areas. The study area is located northwest of the Maliy Amalat River, which flows along the Vitim Plateau; in the floodplains of its two tributaries the Aunik River and the Bagdarin River. It is an area where a large number of alluvial gold deposits have been discovered. Some of these deposits are currently being developed, some have already been explored, and some have been abandoned. The authors consider the current state of vegetation cover in a key area of the Amalat River basin, near villages of Malovsky and Bagdarin. The problem of natural resources development and conservation is becoming extremely important for the area under study because open-pit gold mining methods that are used here drastically change the environment and affect water, land and forest resources.


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