Reference site selection protocols for mine site ecosystem restoration

Abstract

Reference site selection associated with mining and resource development requires a comprehensive approach so that stakeholders can be confident that restoration efforts have appropriate target ecosystems. Here, we present our process to select reference sites, within a savanna ecosystem, which will be used to develop and assess closure criteria and restoration guidelines for Ranger Mine (Northern Territory, Australia). The selection of reference sites followed five steps involving desktop and field methods. We recommend that restoration projects consider inclusion criteria, randomly select sites from areas matching the chosen criteria, conduct preliminary data analysis, estimate and update sampling effort and precision at several points throughout the project, and invite stakeholder feedback and revision of the process as often as required. This detailed reference site approach appears to be the first to demonstrate how to use available data to reduce bias, address sampling effort and site selection quantitatively, involve stakeholders, and provide useful data, which can be used to calibrate ecological restoration outcomes for savanna ecosystems.

The acceptable range of variation within the desirable stable state as a measure of restoration success

“…In addition, much has been written about the need to incorporate social considerations into all stages of ecological restoration (Wortley et al 2013; FAO, IUCN CEM, & SER 2021). Consequently, the appropriate thematic (classification) scale must also be agreeable to stakeholders before it can be operationalized as the acceptable thematic (classification) scale (Halle 2007; Hernandez‐Santin et al 2021). We demonstrate the role of stakeholders in determining and defining the acceptable thematic (classification) scale in our case studies.…”

“…Given the central and defining nature and the ubiquitous use of reference sites, the common lack of detail on reference ecosystem selection and definition is surprising. For example: a review of studies published in Restoration Ecology from 2015 to 2019 found only one study that explained how the reference ecosystem was selected and defined (Hernandez-Santin et al 2021); details on the selection and definition of the reference ecosystem in a special issue of the Journal of Applied Ecology were limited to-nearby reference forest (Holl et al 2017), remnant habitats with no history of agriculture (Turley et al 2017), remnant patches close in space and time (Laughlin et al 2017), or remnant patches with no evidence of soil disturbance (Barak et al 2017); and advice provided within a framework for ecological rehabilitation of mine sites was limited to spatially adjacent reference sites (Manero et al 2020).…”

“…However, the terrestrial restoration ecology literature is largely silent on reference site replication. The review by Hernandez‐Santin et al (2021) reported that no studies explained how the number of reference sites was determined. The authors demonstrated how to use pilot study data to inform reference site replication sufficiency but focused on the statistical power to detect differences between reference and restoration site performance indicator means.…”

Modelling the Diameter Distribution of Savanna Trees with Drone-Based LiDAR

“…These points were then visited by field teams, and one-hectare plots were established following the AusPlots rangeland survey protocol [30]. More details on the establishment of these plots can be found in Hernandez-Santin et al [31]. Vegetation in the plots is typical of the Eucalyptus savanna woodland of northern Australia, with an overstorey characterized by E. miniata, E. tetrodonta, and Erythrophleum chlorostachys, and an understorey characterized by annual grasses, primarily Sorgum spp.…”

Determination of Environmental Factors for the Implementation of the Exploitability Index in Industrial Aggregate Mining Using Multi-Criteria Analysis

“…In addition to the foregoing, it can change behavior patterns of the fauna due to the disturbances related to heavy machinery traffic and the creation of tracks and infrastructures [28]. • Special ecosystems: Mining and all its inherent activities may severely affect this type of ecosystems, whose wildlife protection is the ultimate objective aimed by the definition of this kind of protecting areas [29].…”