Spontaneous Vegetation on Overburden Piles in the Coal Basin of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to select indigenous vegetal species for restoration programs aiming at the regeneration of ombrophilous dense forest. Thirty-five spoil piles located in the county of Sideropolis, Santa Catarina, that received overburden disposal for 39 years were selected for study because they exhibited remarkable spontaneous regrowth of trees compared to surrounding spoil piles. Floristic inventory covered the whole area of the 35 piles, whereas survey on phytosociology and natural regeneration studies were conducted in 70 plots distributed along the 35 piles. Floristic inventory recorded 83 species from 28 botanical families. Herbaceous terricolous plants constituted the predominant species (47.0%), followed by shrubs (26.5%), trees (19.3%), and vines (7.2%). Results from surveys on phytosociology and natural regeneration, focused on shrubs and trees, recorded incipient ecological succession. In addition, the most adapted species recorded on the overburden piles, as ranked by index of natural regeneration (RNT) plus importance value index (IVI), were as follows: Clethra scabra (RNT ¼ 23.93%; IVI ¼ 17.28%), Myrsine coriacea (RNT ¼ 20.93%, IVI ¼ 11.26%), Eupatorium intermedium (RNT ¼ 7.56%,, and Baccharis dracunculifolia (RNT ¼ 2.28%; IVI ¼ 0.56%). High values of IVI and RNT exhibited by the exotic species Eucalyptus saligna (IVI ¼ 21.73%, RNT ¼ 51.41%) indicated strong competition between exotic and indigenous species. Severe chemical (acidic pH and lack of nutrients) and physical (coarse substrate and slope angle of 40-50°) characteristics displayed by the overburden piles constituted limitations to floristic diversity and size of indigenous trees, indicating the need for substrate reclamation prior to forest restoration.

Spontaneous Succession as a Restoration Tool for Maritime Cliff‐top Vegetation in Brittany, France

“…When doubts appear about the direction of change in the target vegetation, we suggest using complementary environmental data to help interpret the restoration results (Mitchell et al 1999, 2000). Our results confirm the requirement for a scientifically valid knowledge‐base for successful restoration of degraded areas (Bradshaw 1993; Palmer et al 1997; dos Santos et al 2008). This is particularly true where the knowledge from long‐term monitoring can be applied to the principles of vegetation succession.…”

Combining ecological, social and technical criteria to select species for forest restoration

“…The ability of such species to establish naturally in degraded areas is high, and therefore it may be more appropriate to use these species for restoration of severely degraded lands, such as mined sites (Parrotta & Knowles ; Sharma & Sunderraj ) or sites highly susceptible to erosion on steep slopes (dos Santos et al. ). Seed size and dispersal mechanism syndromes have also been used to understand which species might require active re‐establishment and which might passively recolonize degraded sites (Pausas & Lavorel ).…”

“…In India (Sharma & Sunderraj ) and Brazil (dos Santos et al. ), species were selected based on their natural regeneration capacity. However, besides ecological criteria, other criteria related to social acceptance and technical feasibility for propagation are required to optimize identification of suitable native species for restoration.…”

Regeneração natural em área degradada pela mineração de carvão em Santa Catarina, Brasil

“…Nappo et alii (2000) salientam que a identificação e a mensuração de variá-veis ambientais e do histórico da área são peças importantes para a compreensão dos processos de dinâmica de povoamentos e, em particular, para os ocorridos em áreas degradadas em fase de reabilitação por meio de revegetação e condução da regeneração natural. Os estudos básicos sobre sucessão em áreas que se encontram abandonadas depois de paralisado o processo de mineração são ferramentas adequadas a serem utilizadas para nortear estratégias para planejamento de recuperação de áreas mineradas (Barth, 1989;Citadini-Zanette & Boff, 1992;Parrota et alii, 1997, Nunes, 2006Santos et alii, 2008). No entanto, tais estudos abordando áre-as degradadas por mineração de carvão e sua recuperação ainda são incipientes no Brasil (Santos, 2003(Santos, , 2008.…”

“…Os estudos básicos sobre sucessão em áreas que se encontram abandonadas depois de paralisado o processo de mineração são ferramentas adequadas a serem utilizadas para nortear estratégias para planejamento de recuperação de áreas mineradas (Barth, 1989;Citadini-Zanette & Boff, 1992;Parrota et alii, 1997, Nunes, 2006Santos et alii, 2008). No entanto, tais estudos abordando áre-as degradadas por mineração de carvão e sua recuperação ainda são incipientes no Brasil (Santos, 2003(Santos, , 2008. Dessa forma, o presente estudo teve como objetivos avaliar a regeneração natural em antropossolos originados pela mineração de carvão a céu aberto e caracterizar o substrato após 28 anos de término da explotação desse recurso mineral.…”