Open Collections

Abstract

Reclamation is an essential part of the life cycle of a mine and successful reclamation outcomes help to build public confidence in the mining sector, increasing trust that post-closure landscapes will be left in an acceptable condition. There is an increasing expectation from the public, First Nations, and regulators that post-closure landscapes are reclaimed to a condition that supports pre-mining capability and productivity, such as native plant communities, opportunities for recreation, hunting, gathering, habitat for native wildlife species, and the re-establishment of opportunities for traditional use of the land by First Nations. To determine if these expectations for post-closure landscapes are achieved, long-term monitoring of reclaimed areas is required; however, many of the traditionally monitored attributes such as soils, vegetation communities, and wildlife use change slowly so it can take many years to understand if reclamation is proceeding appropriately. It is well known that the activities of microbial communities are early drivers of soil development, and that invertebrates, which play key roles in maintaining ecological processes, are highly sensitive to changes in their surrounding environments. Therefore, both soil microbes and invertebrate communities change more quickly than other monitored attributes and may serve as early indicators of success. In this work, we are using genetic analyses to investigate if soil microbial and/or invertebrate communities can be used as early indicators of reclamation success at the Mount Milligan Mine. Early indicators of success allow prompt intervention and correction of unsuccessful reclamation approaches, improving reclamation outcomes and increasing stakeholder support for future mining projects.