Perspectives of lignite post-mining landscapes under changing environmental conditions: what can we learn from a comparison between the Rhenish and Lusatian region in Germany?

Abstract

Background The decision of the German federal government to cease lignite mining until 2038 or—if possible—already earlier until 2030, will cause manifold transition processes in the remaining lignite mining districts of Germany. The two largest districts are located in geographically opposite regions: The Rhineland in the western part and Lusatia in the east of Germany. As particularly these two mining districts will experience severe changes in their socioeconomic as well environmental conditions, the federal government has adopted comprehensive economic support measures. However, the environmental changes will also cause altered ecosystem functions and services to be provided by the future post-mining landscapes. Results In this paper, the two main lignite-producing regions of Germany are compared with regard to their natural and cultural settings. The economic situation and its history are reflected and differences are outlined. Part of the disparities in the cultural development can be explained by very different natural conditions, especially edaphic factors and climatic situation. Because of dissimilar geological settings, different mining technologies were developed and are in use in the two regions with distinct effects on the resulting post-mining landscapes. Conclusion The long-standing and manifold lignite mining activities have radically restructured the landscapes in Lusatia and the Rhineland. With the ongoing decline of the mining industry and its complete cessation, presumably within the next decade, both regions will alter their faces significantly. These changes offer both challenges but also opportunities with respect to the post-mining landscapes and their ecosystem services they are going to provide. The prerequisites for a positive socioeconomic development and for sustainable land-use concepts that also consider ecological aspects are different for both regions. However, or especially because of these differences, the knowledge exchange and experience transfer between both mining regions are pivotal for the success of this extensive transformation process.

An Entrepreneurial Perspective on the Transition of Lignite Rural Areas to a New Regime within a Suffocating Timeframe

“…However, it is equally important to ensure that these incentives are aligned with environmental sustainability objectives. According to the literature, one of the key principles after mine closure is the long-term sustainability of the land and ecosystem, which requires the provision of services that exclude environmental pollution (Gerwin et al 2023). Practices that promote the use of renewable energy sources, sustainable primary production through 'smart agriculture', and the creation of energy communities should be integrated within these incentives (Marinakis et al 2020;Majeed et al 2023) This study revealed that European and domestic financial instruments are necessary to support sustainable entrepreneurship, create quality jobs, and upgrade the knowledge and skills of the workforce to enter the green labor market.…”

Modeling deficit irrigation water demand of maize and potato in Eastern Germany using ERA5-Land reanalysis climate time series

“…Due to the location of eastern Germany, the climate water balance (CWB) is mostly low, necessitating high IWD (Drastig et al, 2016). The majority of the IWD in summer is met by groundwater pumping, leading to a lowering of the water table, and increasing competing demands and pressure from other sectors like public water supply (Gerwin et al, 2023;Mirschel et al, 2019) and ecological demands.…”

“…Negative CWB shows the possibility of high IWD, thus the need for irrigation. Gerwin et al (2023) noted that high IWD in the summer leads to a decrease in groundwater levels and an increase in competition between agriculture and public water supply. They also stressed the need for an optimized irrigation system to cushion these impacts (Gerwin et al, 2023).…”

“…Gerwin et al (2023) noted that high IWD in the summer leads to a decrease in groundwater levels and an increase in competition between agriculture and public water supply. They also stressed the need for an optimized irrigation system to cushion these impacts (Gerwin et al, 2023). Andales et al (2011) emphasize in their study that daily WB helps to determine when and how much daily IWD is required for crops, while seasonal WB is often used to determine the severity of any potential water deficit or surplus.…”

Why rivers disappear - analysis of postmining factors using the example of the Sztoła River, Poland.

“…Gerwin at al. 1 draw attention to the decrease in groundwater levels in the western brown coal mining district in the Rhineland, the largest brown coal mining area in Europe, which has affected an approximately 4400 km2 area 2,3 . Similar issues arise in other mining regions in Germany, such as in the Lusatia region 4 .…”