Substratum Quality Indicators for Monitoring Revegetated Mining Areas

Indicators of substratum quality for monitoring the state of rehabilitation in mining areas were selected on the basis of a study conducted in an operating industrial sand mine. Four study plots were established in decommissioned tailing ponds restored with native plant species for the past 14 years, allowing for 10+ years of simulated monitoring. Substratum samples were collected to measure several physical and chemical properties, while plant development was assessed using conventional parameters. A multivariate covariance analysis led to the selection of soil density, contents of organic matter and phosphorous, as well as soil pH, as suitable variables with ample possibilities to be used as indicators for the conditions studied. Measuring these parameters is a practical, affordable, easy-to-use tool to monitor the evolution of environmental rehabilitation and obtain quantitative parameters that allow for an objective assessment of the results.