Analysis of vegetation recovery in areas impacted by bauxite mining in the Amazon Forest

Silva, Juli Lage de Souza; Araujo, Raíssa André de; Esteves, Victor Paulo Peçanha; Loebmann, Daniel; Vicente, L. E.; Paschoal, Jonilton Pantoja; Morgado, Cláudia do Rosário Vaz

doi:10.1007/s10098-021-02052-9

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In the Amazon, similar low rehabilitation rates have been observed in mining areas undergoing rehabilitation for periods of up to 19 years (Chambi‐Legoas et al, 2021; Kalamandeen et al, 2020; Silva et al, 2021). For example, the almost null vegetation cover in TPs is in line with woody biomass recovery observed in 3–4 years abandoned Au mining pits, which is among the lowest rates ever recorded in tropical forests (Kalamandeen et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Combining approaches for environmental assessment of rehabilitated gold‐mining areas in the Eastern Amazon

Ramos,

de Oliveira,

Ribeiro

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Monitoring key soil and vegetation attributes in mining areas under environmental rehabilitation is essential to ensure that the intervention techniques are effective. There are several approaches to monitoring mining areas and their integration is necessary to process large amounts of information. Thus, this study aimed to (i) assess soil multi‐contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTE) and human health risks; (ii) obtain a soil quality index with soil fertility data; (iii) calculate spectral index; (iv) show rehabilitation status based on vegetation attributes, and (v) compile these indices in a single measure. Four tailings' ponds (TPs), two waste piles (WPs), and an area of native forest from a gold mine in the Carajás National Forest were evaluated. Soil quality and vegetation cover are good in forest areas, with no evidence of PTE contamination. On the other hand, the TPs have poor fertility and vegetation cover, as well as higher levels of PTE. Human health risk indices obtained for all PTE were lower than 1, indicating a low risk to human health. The results of integrating the different indices suggest that the environmental conditions of the WPs are better than those of the TPs, which are still far from the environmental conditions of native areas. Soil attributes and vegetation development in TPs areas could be enhanced by the incorporation of organic materials and fertilizers and by planting species with phytoremediation potential. Finally, the integrative approach of the different indices proved to be useful in assessing the rehabilitation progress of the areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Combining approaches for environmental assessment of rehabilitated gold‐mining areas in the Eastern Amazon

Ramos,

de Oliveira,

Ribeiro

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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“…These differences are likely due to a higher species diversity in suction pumping forest stands, because a higher diversity of species can promote a greater development of the forest structure and increase aboveground light capture, where space and resources are used most effectively [91,92]. Previous studies reported that biomass growth can be negatively influenced by canopy structure [93,94] and forests with more biomass also have a more complex structure [79]. The slower recovery of forest structure generates a slow recovery of AGB in heavy machinery forest stands, because height and tree diameter variation are positively and strongly related to AGB [83].…”

Section: Recovery Of Agb Tree Diversity and Forest Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience of Aboveground Biomass of Secondary Forests Following the Abandonment of Gold Mining Activity in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon

Garate-Quispe,

Herrera-Machaca,

Pareja Auquipata

et al. 2024

Diversity

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Amazon rainforests are critical for providing a wide range of ecosystem services. In the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon; however, goldmining activities are causing severe soil degradation and forest loss. We analyzed aboveground biomass (AGB), forest structure, and species diversity recovery during secondary succession in 179 forest plots. Our study provides the first field-based quantification of AGB recovery following the abandonment by two types of goldmining (heavy machinery and suction pumping) in Madre de Dios (Peru). We found that successional secondary forests in areas subjected to suction pumping were more resilient than those in areas subjected to heavy machinery. After 20 years, mean AGB in suction pumping mining areas had reached 56% of reference forest AGB, while in areas of heavy machinery mining it was only 18%. Mining type, stand age, and distance from the forest edge had a significant effect on AGB. The influence of the distance from the forest edge on AGB varies according to mining type because the effects of species diversity on AGB are mediated by the distance from the forest edge. Our results clearly showed the dynamics of AGB recovery across a secondary succession after goldmining, and the contrasting responses of AGB between the two mining types. Our study disentangles the importance of key factors in forest recovery after mining and improves understanding of the resilience of biomass accumulation in these highly degraded ecosystems.

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“…The Paragominas region experiences regular precipitation, with rainy periods from December to May and a dry season from June to November. The average precipitation is 1800mm (Silva et al, 2021). The tributaries of the Capim River cover more than half of the Paragominas municipality area (54%) (Pinto et al, 2009).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

The loss of riparian vegetation along streams causes morphological divergences in functional traits of semiaquatic insects (Heteropteran: Gerromorpha) in the eastern Amazon

Luz-Silva,

Guterres,

Santana

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Understanding the effects of mining activities on Amazonian streams and their impact on aquatic communities is of paramount importance in the current context of resource overexploitation in society. In this study, we assessed the significance of the environment and interspecific interactions on the organization patterns of semiaquatic insect species in a mineral extraction region in the eastern Amazon. We utilized the morpho functional characteristics of 22 species from the suborder Gerromorpha (Heteropteran), considering both the abundance and sexual dimorphism of these species. Additionally, we quantified the density of riparian vegetation surrounding each stream to categorize sampling points and evaluate whether there are differences in species distribution patterns among categories. We sampled 16 sites, categorized into two treatments based on the percentage of riparian vegetation in forested and deforested areas located in the Capim River Basin. We did not find the action of environmental filters on the total assembly; however, we found significant morphological divergence for all the traits analyzed. On the other hand, the separation of streams into treatments with different portions of riparian vegetation showed that there are significant differences between them regarding species distribution patterns. Forested streams within a 500m radius have species distributed over a larger area, indicating that these streams have greater resource availability or that species can use these resources more efficiently. Our results demonstrate the importance of riparian vegetation for the studied communities, as well as for mitigating the impacts caused by mining activities.

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Analysis of vegetation recovery in areas impacted by bauxite mining in the Amazon Forest

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Combining approaches for environmental assessment of rehabilitated gold‐mining areas in the Eastern Amazon

Combining approaches for environmental assessment of rehabilitated gold‐mining areas in the Eastern Amazon

Resilience of Aboveground Biomass of Secondary Forests Following the Abandonment of Gold Mining Activity in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon

The loss of riparian vegetation along streams causes morphological divergences in functional traits of semiaquatic insects (Heteropteran: Gerromorpha) in the eastern Amazon

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