A comment on “International principles and standards for the ecological restoration and recovery of mine sites”-useful but limited

• Articles in SCI Journals
• Mar, 2023

Summary:

The Principles and Standards by Young et al. provide an international framework for ecological restoration of mine sites. Although useful, these Standards are limited as a basis for practice, especially in Europe, partly by neglecting the fact that semi-natural habitats are often desirable restoration targets in anthropogenic cultural landscapes; intermediate and early successional stages are sometimes more ecologically valuable than terminal stages; spontaneous succession can be an effective restoration approach, or it may be combined with assisted restoration; and by a limited number of representative long-term restoration case studies. Further efforts to create consensual guidelines require a broad discussion across biomes, regions and public and private sectors. Meanwhile, the Standards should be regarded as a tentative academic-oriented framework with some substantial limitations for practice.

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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.13872