Seed ecology in relation to reclamation: lessons from mined lands in Western Australia

Complete restoration of regions of the Eucalyptus marginata forest of Western Australia following bauxite mining is limited by topsoil which contains predominantly seed of annuals and biennials rather than the long-lived perennial shrubs and trees of the pre-mining ecosystem; the ability to collect and respread viable, germinable seed of many of these woody species; and limited amounts of bradysporous species seed. The restoration of regions of Northern Sandplain kwongan shrubland following heavy minerals sand mining has been limited in part by an inability to induce many of the soil-borne seed of the transported topsoil to germinate. However, significant shrubland reclamation has been provided using a shrub mulch which carries large numbers of bradysporous seed to post-mining habitats, the broadcasting of hand collected seed and the planting of nursery stock. -from Authors