Impact assessment and development of strategies for restoring reptile and amphibian biodiversity in mining-disturbed environments

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Sudbury, Ontario has the dubious distinction of being historically known for its "lunar landscape" resulting from mining operations. Today, Sudbury is a different place, a green place. Through extensive collaborations among the mining industry (Vale, Xstrata), the city, and the local community, world-renowned re-greening and habitat restoration efforts have recovered many ecosystem functions in the Sudbury area; however, there is still much to be done. Although soils, wetland acidity, and vegetation have recovered dramatically, habitat quality for animal wildlife remains impoverished, and much of the area does not support diverse animal communities. Restoration of habitats for animal wildlife has been hindered by a paucity of ecological and population information for most species, especially reptiles and amphibians which are integral constituents of food webs and important bio-indicators of ecosystem health. Our project will fill knowledge gaps in this regard and supplements the city of Sudbury's Biodiversity Action Plan by refining strategies to facilitate the recovery of reptiles and amphibians in rehabilitated sites. In addition to the recommendations developed during our project, we will also provide basic, but much-needed species inventory data on Vale's property, as well as tools to monitor ecological recovery in the Sudbury area that can be applied in other mining-impacted locations. Thus, our project will directly assist Vale's ongoing biodiversity recovery actions, as well as their effort to assess and monitor ecological impacts and recovery of mining-impacted sites.