Monitoring Land Reclamation and Ecosystem Sustainability in the Greater Sudbury Region

上个世纪以来，加拿大安大略省北部大萨德伯里市的采矿活动对其环境造成了严重破坏。伐木和矿石冶炼导致了大规模的二氧化硫排放和金属污染。这些因素破坏了土壤质量和植被，减少了该地区的植物、动物和微生物多样性。启动了修复项目，以恢复生态系统和减少工业排放。土地复垦活动主要是在受采矿作业破坏的地区进行土壤石灰和植树。对最近被涂上石灰的地区进行评估，将有助于预测其可持续性，并确定对土地开垦反应较弱的较早、脆弱的地点。这些信息对于确定目标区域内填海造地的长期可持续性至关重要。此外，几个尾矿区已被CGS的当地工业开垦。没有对北方地区的尾矿进行关于土壤发展、金属含量及其长期维持植物和相关微生物种群的能力的详细研究。因此，本项目的目标是：1)确定最近的土壤石灰和管理措施(15年)是否影响GSR的土壤物理化学性质和微生物多样性及其功能；并确定对石灰没有反应的地点；2)确定空中石灰和人工石灰是否会导致相同的结果：3)确定GSR尾矿中发育的土壤的物理化学性质：以及4)评估开垦后尾矿中发育的土壤是否适合植物生长和相关微生物种群的多样性和可持续性。本项目将有助于该区域解决萨德伯里生物多样性行动计划和萨德伯里绿化委员会的关键问题。这一构成部分的成果将使我们能够跟踪进展情况，不断改进陆地生态系统的长期可持续性。该项目将根据场地生态特征为该地区制定一份详细的环境健康地图。它将利用该国的科学能力，研究并找到解决影响森林生物多样性的新问题的办法。正是通过可持续发展，该项目将为安大略省北部人民的环境、社会和经济福祉做出贡献，特别是在大萨德伯里地区。

Mining activities in the City of the Greater Sudbury (CGS) in Northern Ontario (Canada) have resulted over the last century in serious damage to its environment. Logging and ore smelting led to large scale sulphur dioxide emissions and metal contamination. These factors damaged soil quality and vegetation, reducing plant, animal and microbial diversity inhabiting the region. Remediation projects were initiated to restore the ecosystem and to decrease industrial emissions. The land reclamation activities consisted mainly in soil liming and tree planting in areas damaged by mining operations. Assessment of areas that have been recently limed will be useful in predicting their sustainability and in determining earlier, fragile sites that are less responsive to land reclamation. This information is of paramount importance in establishing the long term-sustainability of reclaimed lands within the targeted region. In addition, several tailing regions have been reclaimed by local industries in the CGS. No detailed studies have been conducted on mine tailing in the Boreal Regions with regards to soil development, metal content, and their long term ability to sustain both plant and associated microbiological populations. Hence, this project aims are to 1) determine if recent soil liming and management practices (< 15 years) affect soil physico-chemical properties and microbial diversity and function in the GSR; and identify sites that are not responding to liming; 2) ssess if aerial and manual liming lead to the same outcomes: 3) determine physico-chemical properties of soils developed in tailings in the GSR: and 4) assess if soil developed in mine tailings can be suitable for plant growth and associated microbiological population diversity and sustainability in the GSR after reclamation. The present project will be useful for the Region in addressing key issues of the Sudbury Biodiversity Action Plan (SBAP) and Sudbury regreening Committee. The results of this component will make it possible to track progress and constantly make improvements on long term sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. The project will develop a detailed environmental health map for the region based on site ecological characterization. It will harness the country's scientific capacity to study and find solutions to emerging issues that affect forest biodiversity. It is through the sustainable development that the project will contribute to the environmental, social, and economic well-being of the people of Northern Ontario, especially in the Greater Sudbury Region..