Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2440/134218
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Type: Journal article
Title: A life-of-mine approach to fauna monitoring is critical for recovering functional ecosystems to restored landscapes
Author: Cross, S.L.
Bradley, H.S.
Tudor, E.P.
Craig, M.D.
Tomlinson, S.
Bamford, M.J.
Bateman, P.W.
Cross, A.T.
Citation: Restoration Ecology, 2022; 30(Suppl. 1):e13540-1-e13540-4
Publisher: Wiley
Issue Date: 2022
ISSN: 1061-2971
1526-100X
Statement of
Responsibility: 
Sophie L. Cross, Holly S. Bradley, Emily P. Tudor, Michael D. Craig, Sean Tomlinson, Michael J. Bamford, Philip W. Bateman, Adam T. Cross
Abstract: Mineral extraction activities are intensely disruptive to ecosystems and their associated fauna. Few countries globally have comprehensive legislation surrounding mine site restoration, but within Australia, restoration of discontinued mine sites is a legislative requirement. However, substantial ambiguity regarding the optimal techniques for restoring biodiverse and functional fauna assemblages remains, and monitoring activities typically focus on vegetation communities despite functioning ecosystems being reliant on key trophic interactions involving fauna. When fauna are considered, monitoring efforts typically yield baseline surveys of species richness and the presence or absence of conservation-significant taxa. Even where complete ecosystem recovery is not the goal of post-mining ecological recovery, we argue that there is a critical need for a life-of-mine approach to fauna monitoring underpinned by greater dialog between researchers, environmental regulators, and the mining industry. Environmental Impact Assessments should include requirements for the consideration of all potential impacts of mining on the structure, behavior, and ecological roles of fauna communities, restoration practices must facilitate the return of functional, resilient, and biodiverse fauna communities to restored post-mining landscapes, and the scope of monitoring practices should be broadened to a holistic examination of fauna communities. Recognizing, quantifying, and monitoring the impacts of mining activities and subsequent rehabilitation or restoration on fauna is vital to understanding how anthropogenic disturbances affect natural ecosystems, and in assisting in the successful recovery of ecosystem functionality to areas that have been damaged, degraded, or destroyed.
Keywords: Impact assessment; management; mine; monitoring; restoration
Description: First published: 06 September 2021
Rights: © 2021 The Authors. Restoration Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Ecological Restoration. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
DOI: 10.1111/rec.13540
Grant ID: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/ICI150100041
Published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/rec.13540
Appears in Collections:Environment Institute publications

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