Exceptional Quantity of Water Habitats on Unreclaimed Spoil Banks

Abstract

Surface mining is responsible for the large-scale destruction of affected landscapes. Simultaneously, the dumping of overburden soil on spoil banks during mining generates new landscapes, usually with heterogeneous topography. If spoil banks are not subsequently reclaimed technically (i.e., if the terrain is not leveled), considerable habitat diversity can thereby be established, consisting of numerous types of both terrestrial and water habitats. We compared the area and number of freshwater habitats between spoil banks (both technically unreclaimed and reclaimed) and the surrounding landscapes undisturbed by mining. The area of water habitats and especially their numbers per km2 were by far the greatest on unreclaimed spoil banks. Meanwhile, the quantity of water bodies on reclaimed spoil banks was about half that on non-mining landscapes. Great variety among the numerous water habitats, as indicated by their areas, depths, and proportions of aquatic vegetation on unreclaimed spoil banks, can contribute to regional landscape heterogeneity and water environment stability while providing conditions suitable for diverse taxa. The exceptional number of these water bodies can compensate for their loss in the surrounding landscape. We conclude that leaving some parts of spoil banks to spontaneous succession plays an irreplaceable role in the restoration of post-mining landscapes.