Evaluation of ecological conditions in the influence zone of gold mining (manmade forest justification)

The article describes the long-term research connected with the topical evaluation of impact exerted by a closed gold placer mine in the Khabarovsk Krai, and with the development of the appropriate environmental activities. In view of the unexplored effects of gold placer mining on the ecosphere, the research aimed at rating of ecological hazards and at justification of methods to ensure favorable environmental conditions by means of reclamation and subsequent creation of manmade forests. The package of the research techniques included: the patent search, GIS technologies, remote sensing, etc. The migration patterns of heavy metals and their compounds are revealed in association with chemical processes: oxidation of sulphides and their accumulation in natural components. The air pollution with waste of gold placer mining is extremely high; the concentrations of arsenic and lead compounds exceed the maximum allowable concentrations by 100 times and more. The exceedance of concentrations of Zn and Hg ions is from 2 to 10 time and more in snow cover and from 1.5 to 19 times in surface and ground water. The ecological conditions in the test region are adverse and promote increasing environmentally induced diseases. The content of heavy metal compounds in children’s biological materials is 1.5 times and more higher than in the other regions in Russia. As a result of the experimental research in green houses and at a full scale (test ground of Kerbinka Placer Mine), different methods of environmental rehabilitation and reclamation are developed for the polluted land, including bioremediation, and are confirmed and protected by patents of the Russian Federation. The accomplished research made it possible to validate the necessity and feasibility of creation of manmade forests for wood and non-wood production on the reclaimed land.

Filatova M. Yu., Krupskaya L. T., Bubnova M. B., Leonenko A. V. Evaluation of ecological conditions in the influence zone of gold mining (manmade forest justification). MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023;(8):27-44. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2023_8_0_27.

M.Yu. Filatova¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: filatovamariya@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2212-9783,
L.T. Krupskaya¹, Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Professor, Honored Ecologist of the Russian Federation, Chief Researcher, e-mail: ecologiya2010@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4479-4047,
M.B. Bubnova², Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: 138_marina@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4384-1120,
A.V. Leonenko², Junior Researcher, e-mail: 334212@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0499-7675,
¹ Far Eastern Research Institute of Forestry, 680020, Khabarovsk, Russia,
² Mining Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Khabarovsk Federal Research Center FEB RAS), 680000, Khabarovsk, Russia.

M.Yu. Filatova, e-mail: filatovamariya@mail.ru.

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