The Flora and Invertebrate Fauna of Abandoned Limestone Quarries in Derbyshire, United Kingdom

Abstract

Abandoned limestone quarries are hostile environments for plant and invertebrate colonization and establishment. The length of time taken for successful establishment by natural processes may be unacceptable for reclamation purposes; several techniques are used to reduce the time scales involved. A new technique, restoration blasting, aims to replicate natural daleside landforms by selective blasting of modern production quarry faces. We compare the flora and invertebrate fauna of restoration‐blasted sites, hydro‐seeded with daleside species, with naturally regenerating disused quarries and a natural daleside. Restoration‐blasted sites were found to have less plant cover, more bare ground, fewer orders of invertebrates, and generally fewer animals within each order than the other two types of site. The disused quarries tended to have intermediate characteristics between the restoration‐blasted sites and the natural daleside. The age of the site may be important in determining the plants and invertebrates occurring there. This may be related to the time available for establishment or a greater degree of settlement or stability within the biotic and abiotic components of the site. Although most of the results indicate that time since establishment may be important, some variations occur. In particular, the development of vegetation cover in areas grazed by rabbits is problematic. These results are important in the assessment of successful reclamation because the invertebrate fauna may contribute greatly to the overall system. Both plant and animal communities appear to be establishing well on the sites reclaimed by restoration blasting. Further monitoring will identify the speed at which such environments achieve the desired aim of replicating daleside communities and the communities best able to be sustained following this technique.

Erosion control blankets, organic amendments and site variability influenced the initial plant community at a limestone quarry in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

“…In mined areas, vegetation establishment relies on human augmentation because the seed bank has been removed or damaged; the site can remain relatively unvegetated for decades or can be colonized by unwanted species (Wheater and Cullen, 1997;Cooper and MacDonald, 2000). Native species selection is critical in restoration (Davis et al, 1985;Wunderle, 1997;Alvarez-Aquino et al, 2004;de Souza and Batista, 2004).…”

Quarry Reclamation in England: A Review of Techniques

“…Quarries are "hostile environments" for plant establishment (Wheater and Cullen, 1997). This is mainly because of poor soils, unavailability of topsoil, steep slopes, and size of the quarries.…”

Destructive effect of quarry effluent on life in a mountain stream

“…The effect that quarrying has on the environment is mostly equated with the evident scars on the landscape and is considered severe but nevertheless local. The focus of studies to date has been confined to the field of geology, (hydro)geochemistry and (terrestrial) landscape management (Wheater & Cullen 1997;Gaiero et al 1997;Jim 2001;Špičková et al 2008;Kim et al 2007). Papers related to the biological assessment of the effects of quarrying on aquatic systems are sparse (Nuttall 1972;Nuttall & Bielby 1973).…”