MINING WASTELAND FACES GREEN CHALLENGE

Ecosystem restoration is no easy task, reports Wang Kaihao in Ordos, Inner Mongolia.迷你倉 Rugged mountain roads lead to one of China's largest coal mining areas, along the border between the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Shaanxi province. The land is barren, with annual rainfall of just 350 millimeters. The climate is arid. In Ejin Horo Banner, a county-level administrative region in the south of Ordos, although the price of coal has fallen by almost half from its 2008 peak, vans still shuttle busily around the large open-pit mines. However, for the locals, one environmental issue remains a central concern irrespective of conditions on the coal markets. The problem is how to return the landscape to its natural state when coal supplies are exhausted and the mines closed. As he climbed a hill overlooking a mine, Song Zhipeng, director of the office that supervises land use at the banner's land and resources bureau, pointed to a plain where several vans were transporting earth dug from the mines to level the rugged terrain. Environment: Digging deep to reclaim mining land "The mine operators have to be responsible for the land they have exploited and the environment they've affected," said Song, who admitted that mine reclamation is a tough task. "The situation is becoming increasingly urgent as the resources on farming land become rarer. If we don't utilize abandoned mining land, the original terrain will be destroyed and that will cause ecological problems," he said. "One of our major concerns is soil erosion." Little cause for optimism As early as 1989, the State Council, China's Cabinet, demanded that mining companies reclaim used land and return it to its natural state. The announcement was followed by a series of experiments in the industry, but the situation today is not a cause for optimism. Liu Yanping, director of the land property office under the Ministry of Land and Resources, estimated that the current ratio of mining land reclamation is only around 20 percent, compared with approximately 80 percent in developed countries. A meeting of the National Mine Reclamation Academic Forum, launched by the China Coal Society, was held in Ordos in August. According to the forum's report, by the end of 2009, more than 6.6 million hectares of abandoned mine land were still to be reclaimed. More than 112,000 mines are currently operating in China, affecting an area equal to 200,000 hectares every year. The Ministry of Land and Resources announced in March that it aims to promote land reclamation in China's newly exploited mines by the end of 2015. In 2011, when the State Council unveiled the Land Reclamation Rule, the ministry selected four mining areas, including Ordos, as experimental districts for reform of the approval and management procedures of land used for temporary mining and requiring greater supervision of mine reclamation. In Ordos, 80 mines are located in the experimental districts, and seven of them are in Ejin Horo. These parcels of land, each less than 70 hectares, are transferred from the farmers to mining companies for two years. Once mining is completed, a three-year project begins to level the land and rehabilitate it. Once that work is completed, the land is returned to the farmers. Since 2007, all mine operators have had to leave a deposit with the municipal government when they apply for mining licenses. The deposit can be as much as 150,000 yuan ($24,600) per hectare. When the mining work ceases, the deposits are only returned if the reclamation work meets national standards. "If they (the operators) fail, we use the money to employ professionals to do the work instead," explained Song. According to Bian Junmei, head of the banner's land reclamation center, the reclamation ratio in Ejin Horo was close to zero in 2007, the only exceptions being two large mines where measures were employed to minimize the hidden danger of land collapse. Bian said the reclamation rate is now 50 percent. However Song is still uneasy. "Plants grow quickly in the mining areas of southern China because of the fertile land and abundant rainfall," he said. "It's a different scenario here. We can't just rely on the power of nature. We need more human intervention." A common practice in mine reclamation in Ejin Horo is to cover the leveled land with a thin layer of earth, usually 0.5 to 1 meter deep, and then plant grass later. However, despite the healthy appearance, the land is now barren. "Once the land has been fully exploited, the mining companies don't want it anymore," said an embarrassed Song. "The farmers no longer want the land either, because it's too barren to be recultivated. It costs too much to maintain the grass. Technically, this is just wasteland." A promising experiment Nevertheless, some districts have made great efforts to ensure a decent future for the reclaimed land. Fifty kilometers from the banner seat and covering an area of 9.18 sq km, Wujiata is one of the biggest open-pit coal mines in Ejin Horo. When we visited, the locals were busily harvesting vegetables on the farmland beside the mining pit. "We don't need to buy vegetables from outside and we even have a surplus supply for the neighboring mines," said Zhang Tingbang, head of the Wujiata mine's technology department. The 10-hectare fields have been reclaimed, and the crops being sewn on them include sunflowers, corn and wheat. According to Zhang, the operators of the mine, which began operations in 1996, made efforts to prevent a troubled ecological aftermath. "Abandoned mining land can easily become deserted and that influenced our production regime," he recalled. "We had to spare so much effort to level the terrain and plant sand dune willow to prevent sandstorms, but our role was mostly passive." In 2004, a project was launched to restore the ecological balance. It has since progressed slowly through a process of trial and error. "It takes a decade to gradually ameliorate barren land via sheep compost," said Wang Wensheng, a mineworker who was harvesting eggplants in the field. "We are lucky that rainfall has become slightly more abundant in the last two years and we are finally beginning to see results." Drought is another factor hampering restoration of the ecosystem. "We tried to use spray-irrigation on the fields, but it didn't work well and the equipment was very costly," said Wang. "We now combine several water-efficient irrigation methods and the crops are growing better." Trees cover 85 percent of the 600 or so reclaimed hectares of land, but Zhang admitted the ecological project has no economic return. "We can probably open tree nurseries and form a green industry in the future, but all the work we've done up to now was to improve the appearance of the landscape. That only earns social benefits, but it's good to do something in the public interest. It will also help our business, especially because coal isn't selling well now," he said. Reclamation trust fund Wujiata mine is affiliated with Shenhua Group, China's biggest coal mining conglomerate. In 2011, the company launched a policy that allocates 0.46 yuan from every ton of coal it sells to the land reclamation fund. Last year, Wujiata received 1.3 million yuan from the fund, which helped the reclamation work and introduced a greater variety of tree species, accor自存倉ing to Zhang. He said he feels blessed because he no longer has to apply for special funding from the group every time he wants to launch a new project. He has even tried, unsuccessfully so far, to grow grapes. "This is an old mine, so our production facilities lagged behind others, but at least we are one of the country's leaders in terms of mine reclamation," said Zhang. "The investment required is not as high as that for introducing new mining machines, but we will see results a lot faster." Wujiata's coal reserves are likely to be exhausted by 2020, when the total reclaimed area will be 660 hectares, said Zhang, adding that he hopes the reclamation work will prevent the miners from facing a future without jobs. "Our final goal is to make this reclaimed area an eco-tourism site to provide work for the miners and their families. Imagine it, if we can successfully establish a vineyard in the future..." Although the municipal land and resources bureau in Ordos has encouraged operators to replicate Wujiata's example, Tao Rui, deputy director of the municipal office in charge of mine reclamation, admitted that only large businesses can afford the costs. Some of China's major coal producers have adopted an approach similar to Shenhua's by financing land reclamation through a levy on production, but there is no uniform criterion on how much money they should donate. "Consequently, the number of operators using these advanced methods is still very low," said Tao. "Businesses determine their own methods of land reclamation." "Now, it will be enough if they can restore the landscape and minimize the impact on the environment. However, this rough-and-ready approach to rehabilitation should be changed in the long term." Return to farming? A question is: If reclamation methods become mature, how much will the farmers benefit? They face a tough choice — should they return to their farmland or not? Bai Lijun, 37, is the head of Bulianta village in Ejin Horo. About 60 percent of the village area was abandoned between 2009 and 2012 after the discovery of huge coal reserves. "Those who didn't move out are really envious," said Bai. "Families used to earn around 30,000 yuan annually by growing corn, but every family that's moved to town has received compensation of around 400,000 yuan." The banner government even provides each family with a free apartment, with 35 square meters of per capita living space, in town. According to Song from the banner's land and resources bureau, in the past decade, more than 1,500 villagers or herdsmen from Ejin Horo have been relocated to the town because of mining operations. "The government cannot replace the market," Song explained. "We used to arrange jobs for the villagers, but the process is time-consuming and the positions offered don't satisfy everyone. That's why we switched to providing cash compensation." Bai said that few of Bulianta's relocated villagers now work, apart from a small number who have embraced opportunities in town and opened small businesses. It seems the villagers have little idea of how to handle the large sums of money they've been given. When asked what the villagers do every day now that they have lost their land, his answer was terse. "Nothing. What else can they do other than play mahjong and prattle? "We're really unsure about whether we will be able to cultivate the barren land, even though it will be returned to us eventually," he added. Bai is skeptical about the current methods of land reclamation. "I guess few people would return to their farms, even if the land were fertile. Can you expect people who are used to a comfortable life to resume exhausting farm work?" Some people still miss the old days, though. In 2011, 48-year-old Su Baorong invested 300,000 yuan to open a restaurant in his new neighborhood, but the business hasn't fared well. He was sad that many of the villagers have no regular work. "With money, people say goodbye to their old neighbors and search for their own fortune," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Coal makes everything different; 95 percent of the people who moved from the village loaned money to invest in mines. When the price of coal plummeted, they suffered huge losses." Su worked in a coal mine in the late 1990s, but was laid off when the mine was merged with a bigger company, leaving him reluctant to be associated with the industry again. "I used to have well-irrigated land, which is uncommon in our village. If I have the chance to farm the rehabilitated land, I would love to do so," he sighed. Contact the author at wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn 6.6 million hectares estimated amount of abandoned mine land still to be reclaimed by the end of 2009112,000 estimated number of mines now operating in China, affecting an area equal to 200,000 hectares every year20 per cent estimated proportion of reclaimed mining land in China FACT BOX Mine reclamation refers to the process of restoring land to a natural or economically usable state. • The United StatesThe Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was the country's first federal law to regulate the environmental effects of coal mining. It established a trust fund to finance the reclamation of abandoned mines. Mines that began operations after the law took effect are required to have a reclamation ratio of 100 percent. The government also raises funds to reclaim lands from mines that had closed by the time the law came into effect.It's estimated that 20 percent of the land scarred by mining has already been rehabilitated. • AustraliaEnvironmental protection authorities are mainly in charge of mine reclamation work. Mining companies that achieve a good reclamation rate receive a lower amount from the reclamation trust fund, while the money available rises for companies with a poor record. The judgment is based on public opinion. A large number of professional institutions and enterprises are developing mine reclamation technology in Australia. • The United KingdomThe first law relating mine reclamation was passed as early as 1949. The government passed a law in 1969 demanding land reclamation and management plans from operators before mining operations began. • ChinaThe country has yet to formulate a national law to specifically regulate mine reclamation. However, the country's laws on mineral resources, environmental protection, land administration, and several regulations released by the State Council all include relevant content.The Inner Mongolia autonomous region produced 1.08 billion metric tons of raw coal in 2012, and its total proven coal reserves were more than 808 billion tons by the end of 2011, according to statistics from the regional bureau of land and resources. Four of China's five biggest open-pit coal mines are located in Inner Mongolia: Jungar in Ordos, Yimin River in Hulunbuir, Yuanbaoshan in the eastern city of Chifeng, and Horin River in the northeastern city of Tongliao. The odd man out is located in Pingshuo in Shanxi province.CHINA DAILY Photos by wang kaihao / China DailyClockwise from top: Wujiata is one of the biggest coal mines in Ejin Horo. Wang Wensheng, a miner, harvests vegetables grown on reclaimed land in Wujiata.Bulldozers busy on the final stage of a decade-long mine reclamation project on the grassland near Borxil town in Hulunbuir's Chen Barag Banner. 迷你倉