An approach to creating alternative growth media for the revegetation of mines

Authors: Wehr, B; Dale, G; Costin, A; Nicolson, L Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_67

Cite As:
Wehr, B, Dale, G, Costin, A & Nicolson, L 2026, 'An approach to creating alternative growth media for the revegetation of mines', in AB Fourie, G Boggs, J Heyes & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2026: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_67



Abstract:
Successful mine closure commonly depends on the establishment of vegetation that is sustainable, resilient and aligned with the intended post-mining land use (PMLU). While topsoil overlaying benign spoil is the preferred growth medium for rehabilitation, many mine sites face a combination of hostile spoil and topsoil deficits, with available topsoil volumes insufficient to meet rehabilitation demands. Where spoil is hostile and topsoil is limiting, alternative growth media must be manufactured from subsoil and spoil materials that typically exhibit one or more constraints to vegetation establishment. Soil is a composite of chemical, physical and biological properties and the focus should be on its functions that support plant growth and ecosystem services, rather than soil composition. This paper presents a practical, site-specific 5-stage framework for developing alternative growth media: Drawing on the broader literature concerning soil fertility dynamics in Australian mine rehabilitation, the framework addresses common limiting characteristics of subsoil and spoil materials with reference to both grazing and native woodland PMLUs. A key principle is that growth media must not present hostile conditions to plant growth but have erosional stability, or it must be ameliorated to remove such conditions prior to placement. The paper further argues that rehabilitation trajectories, rather than point-in-time comparisons with reference ecosystems, represent the most meaningful basis for evaluating rehabilitation progress and compliance criteria.

Keywords: post-mining land use, soil constraints, soil amelioration strategies, mine rehabilitation

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