Ecological risk assessment of open coal mine area

Environ Monit Assess. 2008 Dec;147(1-3):471-81. doi: 10.1007/s10661-008-0215-8. Epub 2008 Feb 27.

Abstract

The coal mine areas in China have the serious conflicts between resources exploitation and ecology safety, therefore the coal mine ecological risk assessment is an important problem which relates to the sustainability of coal mines to regions and the whole country. In this study, open coal mine area serves as researching object, heavy metals, soil erosion and coast are screened out as risk resources, soil wireworm as the receiver of heavy metals risk, biotope ecosystem as the receiver of soil erosion and coast risk; ecological indexes are calculated with species background index, biological diversity index and natural degree index, ecological friability indexes are calculated with soil fertility index, plant coverage, plant species diversity index, soil wireworm index and maturity index, and the typical coal mine area assessment indexes system is established. In addition, the regional ecological risk assessment is conducted on the friable ecological system of Fuxin Haizhou open coal mine area. Examples are researched of Haizhou open coal mine, the coal mine risk distribution is established, and foundations are provided for the administrative decision-making.

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Coal Mining*
  • Conservation of Natural Resources / methods
  • Ecology*
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Risk Assessment / methods