A systematic framework for continuous monitoring of land use and vegetation dynamics in multiple heterogeneous mine sites

Abstract

Vegetation dynamics and land use information are significant for a better understanding of the ecological consequences of multiple mining activities. However, the high spatial heterogeneity of mine sites and diverse disturbance and recovery pathways make it a challenge to understand the dynamics of multiple mine sites over large areas. Here, we proposed a general framework for continuous monitoring of land use and vegetation dynamics in multiple mine sites and applied it to Pingxiang, China. First, annual land use and land cover (LULC) maps from 2000 to 2019 were generated using a modified Continuous Change Detection and Classification approach (CCDC). Second, the locations and extents of 86 mine sites on different scales were mapped individually and then aggregated into five groups according to the similarity and differences of vegetation change. Vegetation dynamics showed great heterogeneity across sites driven primarily by the spatial-temporal variation in types and intensity of land use activities in and around the mine sites. We found the impact distance was typically 500-700 m in the region, but can be smaller than the potential impact distance in areas with land use activities. The long-term slow recovery of vegetation conditions at some sites indicates that it might be a challenge to improve vegetation conditions naturally in a short time and human-assisted restoration measures may be required. The systematic framework proposed in this study can be used to establish comprehensive and spatially-explicit mine datasets at the regional scale, essential for understanding the dynamics and ecological consequences of multiple mining activities and coordinated management and restoration of heterogeneous mine sites.

Detecting the effects of opencast mining on ecosystem services value in arid and semi-arid areas based on time-series remote sensing images and Google Earth Engine (GEE)

“…may produce water pollution and air pollution problems [ 7 ] throughand leaching processes, and may also cause spontaneous combustion of coal gangue [ 8 ], further affecting the ESV in mining areas. On the other hand, land reclamation, ecological restoration, natural vegetation recovery and other processes will also lead to the recovery of ESV in mining areas [ 9 ]. Therefore, the impact of opencast mining on ESV in mining areas is a long-term process, showing differentiated trends due to the mining life cycle.…”

“…mineral resources are crucial for the survival and development of society, providing over 95% of the world’s energy, more than 80% of the world’s industrial raw materials, and over 70% of the world’s agricultural raw materials [ 15 ]. Most of the open-pit coal mines are located in arid and semi-arid ecologically fragile areas [ 9 ]. Opencast mining further deteriorates the ecological environment of the area, causing serious negative impacts on the economic, social development and well-being of the residents.…”

Using unmanned aerial vehicle multispectral data for monitoring the outcomes of ecological restoration in mining areas

“…Satellite imagery, on the other hand, has proven to be a valuable tool for automated or semi‐automated and repeatable vegetation mapping across a range of spatial scales, spanning from the regional to community‐level, and from low to high spatial resolutions (Li et al, 2021; Randin et al, 2020; Villoslada et al, 2020). However, mining areas are often subject to intense disturbance (Hou et al, 2021; Jiang et al, 2022), resulting in relatively small spatial extent confounded by the often dense regeneration of uniformly aged plants in mine restoration that make it difficult to accurately differentiate taxa when deploying high altitude satellite approaches. In particular, the optical detection of α diversity, which is the foundational biological information in any restoration program (Rocchini, 2007).…”

“…However, mining areas are often subject to intense disturbance (Hou et al, 2021;Jiang et al, 2022), resulting in relatively small spatial extent confounded by the often dense regeneration of uniformly aged plants in mine restoration that make it difficult to accurately differentiate taxa when deploying high altitude satellite approaches. In particular, the optical detection of α diversity, which is the foundational biological information in any restoration program (Rocchini, 2007).…”

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle multispectral data for monitoring outcomes of ecological restoration in mining areas

“…Satellite imagery, on the other hand, has proven to be a valuable tool for automated or semi-automated and repeatable vegetation mapping across a range of spatial scales, spanning from regional to community-level, and from low to high spatial resolutions (Li et al, 2021;Villoslada et al, 2020;Randin et al, 2020). However, mining areas are often subject to intense disturbance (Hou et al, 2021;Jiang et al, 2022), resulting in relatively small spatial extent confounded by the often dense regeneration of uniformly aged plants in mine restoration that make it difficult to accurately differentiate taxa when deploying high altitude satellite approaches. In particular, the optical detection of α diversity, which is the foundational biological information in any restoration program (Rocchini, 2007).…”