Ecological restoration as a possible way for reclamation of spoil bank after brown coal mining

Ecological restoration of landscape affected by man has recently gathered an increasing attention of professionals as well as the public. The key aspect of any ecological restoration is the chosen level of restoration which has to be achieved. Theoretically, three levels can be distinguished - reclamation, rehabilitation, and restoration. In practise, only reclamation is usually feasible, or rehabilitation in some cases. In most cases, the true restoration is economically unbearable and therefore unrealistic. The major goal of ecological restoration is reestablishment of ecosystem function or ecosystem structure, which usually means biodiversity. Many recent studies have proved that spontaneous or assisted succession can be of great use in order to achieve this goal, having many benefits in comparison to traditional land reclamation. When concerning small-scale mining sites, such as stone quarries, succession can completely substitute traditional reclamation. Whereas in the case of large-scale mining sites, such spoil banks after brown coal mining, practical application of succession can be widely discussed with regard to other relevant aspects of landscape restoration, such as social, mining and technological, legal aspects, or aspects affecting property rights. On all accounts, spontaneous succession could be used more often for spoil bank reclamation than it is at present.

Keywords: restoration ecology, ecological restoration, succession