The purpose of this training school was to provide a general overview of last and innovative techniques for mine restoration. It addressed the restoration strategy under three main approaches: the recovery of natural geomorphology shapes (topography), the production of functional substrates (soil) and the establishment of native vegetation based on innovative techniques (plant).
This was a COST Action organized by PEN-CAFoRR (CA19128) – Pan-European Network for Climate Adaptive Forest Restoration and Reforestation.
This training school has combined classroom and field sessions about new trends and methods in mine reclamation, from geomorphic reclamation to innovative strategies and techniques for improving vegetation establishment and soil erosion control under challenging conditions of opencast mining.
We have learned:
- Main principles and application of Geomorphic design. Geomorphic reclamation mimics the local geomorphology of a landscape to create stable landforms. These landforms provide visual integration with the surrounding landscape and support diverse biological communities.
- The construction of artificial functional substrates (Technosols) based on the management of spoils materials and organic matter.
- Innovative techniques of plant production and woody or herbaceous vegetation establishment to facilitate the recovery of ecological processes. The course has focused on specific ecotechnologies fitted for challenging conditions of mines: seedling quality, soil preparation, plant protection, mulching and so on.
But we have also enjoyed great moments with a fantastic group of young researchers in mine restoration.
Antonio Aguilar-Garrido 