Across China: Abandoned mines reborn as ecological oases

TAIYUAN, April 22 (Xinhua) -- From jagged craters to golden wheat fields, China's scarred mining landscapes are undergoing an ecological revolution.

In Xinanyu Village, north China's Shanxi Province, a once-barren refractory clay quarry is now fertile farmland -- a testament to the nation's multipronged strategy to heal nearly 300,000 hectares of abandoned mines since 2016.

"Five years ago, this site resembled a bombed battlefield, bedrock exposed, soil erosion rampant," recalled Ma Baosheng from Yangquan City's natural resources bureau, standing amid restored cropland. His city, part of Shanxi's coal belt, has transformed multiple derelict mines through targeted engineering and ecological zoning.

Official figures show that Shanxi has invested a total of 2.076 billion yuan (about 288 million U.S. dollars) to rehabilitate 2,400 sites totaling 6,900 hectares, stabilizing slopes, rebuilding topsoil, and curbing geological hazards on those lands.

The rehabilitation process exemplifies China's science-driven restoration model. Tailored approaches such as engineering interventions for severe degradation zones and nature-based recovery for less damaged areas were adopted.

China's ecological overhaul extends beyond physical restoration. A policy revolution began in 2019 when the Ministry of Natural Resources introduced mechanisms to explore market-based approaches to promote mine ecological restoration, which was amplified by 2021's private capital incentives by the State Council.

A total of 49 pilot projects under this model now demonstrate how former environmental liabilities can become carbon sinks or solar farms.

Geological engineer Hu Haifeng from Taiyuan University of Technology explained the technical nuances: "For high-risk sites, we deploy slope terracing and vegetative reinforcement. In areas like some abandoned mines, adaptive reuse such as agritourism hubs can generate new economic value."

"These sites were ecological debts," said Ma, gesturing towards newly planted saplings. "Now they're appreciating assets, feeding communities and sequestering carbon." ■