Abstract
Towards best-practice monitoring and assessment of self-sustainability for ecological rehabilitation on mined land.
The establishment of self-sustaining ecosystems is increasingly the aim of post mine rehabilitation within Australia. However, there is little consensus on how to measure progress towards self-sustainability and indeed how to determine when an ecosystem can be considered self-sustainable. On the basis of our review of available literature we will briefly:
We will conclude with a brief discussion of how these indicators and their monitoring data might be used in the context of completion criteria for self-sustainability.
Towards best-practice monitoring and assessment of self-sustainability for ecological rehabilitation on mined land.
The establishment of self-sustaining ecosystems is increasingly the aim of post mine rehabilitation within Australia. However, there is little consensus on how to measure progress towards self-sustainability and indeed how to determine when an ecosystem can be considered self-sustainable. On the basis of our review of available literature we will briefly:
- define the key elements of a self-sustaining ecosystem within the context of rehabilitated mined land;
- outline the preferred characteristics of performance indicators for tracking development towards self-sustaining native ecosystems; and
- suggest a suite of practical performance indicators for monitoring progress towards self-sustainability.
We will conclude with a brief discussion of how these indicators and their monitoring data might be used in the context of completion criteria for self-sustainability.