Evaluation of Land-Use Changes as a Result of Underground Coal Mining—A Case Study on the Upper Nitra Basin, West Slovakia

Abstract

Mining activity has one of the most fundamental influences on the landscape (in terms of both aesthetics and use). Its activity and manifestations, even when mining takes place underground, have visual manifestations on the surface. The impact of subsurface mining has a synergistic effect on the elements of the landscape structure. This manifestation is continuous in the context of mining intensity. Using the Earth remote sensing method, we identified several fundamental changes. The most significant of these was the creation of wetlands and the modification of watercourse lines. In the area in which there was no permanent water sources, several water areas with a total area of more than 30 ha were created. We also found that the length of watercourses has halved, the area of grassland has doubled, and urban area has decreased. It was the creation of water areas that supported not only better ecological stability of the landscape, but also the growth of biodiversity. Wetlands can be a dynamic element of future development. Understanding the development of land-cover changes is necessary for the purpose of planning nature and landscape conservation, as well as to identify areas of conflict with economic use.

Ecosystem Services for Planning Post-Mining Landscapes Using the DPSIR Framework

“…Landscape composition/configuration can be considered a root node in the state dimension, as it has a substantial number of outgoing causal connections. This highlights the importance of considering the transformation of the landscape, with mining-related landscape elements, such as mining subsidence and depressions, the removal of mountaintops, waste dump mounds, or acid waters, in the environmental assessment of mining [51,53,54,[64][65][66][67][68].…”

“…Economic activities and growth outside the mining area [62] Energy demand Demand for energy by economy and households [62,63] Coal/lignite extraction Extraction of coal or lignite by underground and surface mining [58,60,61] Mining waste disposal Mining wastes on dump sites/waste heaps [56,57,59] Mine drainage The lowering of the ground water table during and after the mining operation [50,52,58,73] Landscape transformation Transformation of the landscape (pits, mounts) including subsidence of landscape [53,54,[64][65][66]74] Gaseous emissions Emissions of gaseous or airborne/suspended solid pollutants [75][76][77][78] Liquid emissions Emission of liquid or dissolved/suspended pollutants [79][80][81] Landscape composition/configuration…”

A Calculation and Optimization Method for the Theoretical Reclamation Timing of Cropland

“…The digging areas will retain waterlogged areas, which can be transformed into vast fish ponds, thereby increasing the land's value for utilization [18,24]. In addition, the creation of waterlogged areas can also positively affect the biodiversity of the landscape [25]. The traditional reclamation approach applies reclamation techniques to cropland where subsidence has already ceased.…”

Exceptional Quantity of Water Habitats on Unreclaimed Spoil Banks

“…On the other hand, dumping of overburden soil on spoil banks during this process generates new and unique landscapes. If the spoil banks are not subsequently leveled by technical reclamation, considerable habitat diversity can be established [10][11][12][13]. For instance, xerothermic habitats at the higher sections of spoil banks alternate with aquatic habitats established in terrain depressions on impermeable substrates [14][15][16].…”