Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Post-Industrial Land [Kietas viršelis]

"Mining, especially in open pits, as well as other industrial activities claim large land areas and leave them in a barren and contaminated state once the operation is completed. Decontaminating such post-industrial sites and restoring them with a functioning ecosystem has become a prime challenge for countries world-wide, in particular those with limited arable soil and forest resources. Ecological engineering helps this process along, by managing the microbiology and plant cover for a speedy recovery of essential ecosystem services"--

Guide to post-industrial site restoration and re-establishment of rich communities of plant species for the provision of key ecosystem services

In line with the UN sustainable development goals, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Post-Industrial Land is an expert guide to ecological restoration of post-industrial lands, explaining how to re-introduce biodiversity and ecosystem services by implementing natural processes in the rehabilitation of disturbed sites. It covers both the initial stages associated with the improvement of physicochemical and biological substrate characteristics as a precondition for continuous vegetation, as well as the subsequent re-establishment of rich communities of plant species and how these communities may be optimized for their biodiversity and ecosystem services such as pedogenesis, nutrient cycling, habitation for other organisms, food plants for herbivores, carbon sequestration, and aesthetic value.

Case studies of successful restoration of industrial sites from Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe, which include coal and mineral mining sites, oil drilling sites, and dumpsites, complement the conceptual part of the text and demonstrate how to put the theory into practice.

Written by an experienced researcher in the field, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Post-Industrial Land includes information on:

• Mining sustainability in arid zones, aromatic plants for phytoremediation, and spontaneous flora growth on metalliferous sites
• Resilience of plant diversity, ecosystem services from rehabilitated waste dumpsites, and plantation forestry for eco-restoration
• Soil biodiversity and plant-microbe interactions, afforestation of former asbestos mines, and bauxite mine restoration and management
• Role of the local government in re-use of sites, restoration of wetlands in oil and gas exploration areas, and carbon sequestration in revegetated coal mine soil

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Post-Industrial Land is an essential guide for environmental managers, scientists, ecologists, and engineers tasked with restoring post-industrial sites, managers in mining, oil, gas, and other heavy industries, and NGOs involved in sustainable land use.