Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal
Background and Aims: In Mexico there are accumulations of toxic and unstable materials discarded by mining, called tailings, which represent a potential and effective risk for ecosystems and society. Ecological restoration in combination with other mitigation strategies offer an alternative to mitig...
| Hoofdauteurs: | , , |
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| Formaat: | Online |
| Taal: | spa |
| Gepubliceerd in: |
Instituto de Ecología, A.C.
2022
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| Online toegang: | https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019 |
| _version_ | 1799771414174105600 |
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| author | Márquez-Huitzil, Roberto Martínez-Garza, Cristina Osorio Beristain, Marcela |
| author_facet | Márquez-Huitzil, Roberto Martínez-Garza, Cristina Osorio Beristain, Marcela |
| author_sort | Márquez-Huitzil, Roberto |
| collection | ABM |
| description | Background and Aims: In Mexico there are accumulations of toxic and unstable materials discarded by mining, called tailings, which represent a potential and effective risk for ecosystems and society. Ecological restoration in combination with other mitigation strategies offer an alternative to mitigate these environmental impacts and reverse the ecosystem degradation caused by tailings. This work raises some considerations and proposes a methodology to apply the ecological restoration to tailings.Methods: The effects and risks caused by the deposit of tailings in the open pit were described based on the characteristics of the materials and the ecosystem in which they are deposited, applying and adapting criteria such as those used in the Evaluation of the Ecological Impact. Based on this, some guidelines and considerations were proposed to mitigate tailings. The limitations of some mitigation techniques with organisms or organic matter were also analyzed, due to their potential collateral impacts.Key results: The methodological proposal considers actions to mitigate a mining tailing that integrate the ecosystem and its functioning, directed towards an ecosystem restoration. On the one hand, these guidelines consider aspects related to the toxicity and stability of tailings and, on the other hand, the characteristics and ecosystem processes affected by their deposit. This proposal considers ten steps that incorporate different aspects that must be addressed to achieve restoration in tailings deposits.Conclusions: Through an ecosystem approach, as in ecological restoration, the environmental problems of contamination and instability of the tailings are solved. Also avoiding the collateral impacts of the mitigation strategies themselves, such as the creation of ecological traps or making contaminants bioavailable, introducing them into the food chain without compensating for the ecosystem impacts caused by their deposit. |
| format | Online |
| id | oai:oai.abm.ojs.inecol.mx:article-2019 |
| institution | Acta Botanica Mexicana |
| language | spa |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Instituto de Ecología, A.C. |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | oai:oai.abm.ojs.inecol.mx:article-20192023-01-12T20:01:09Z Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal Adoptar los objetivos de la restauración ecológica como meta crucial al mitigar desechos mineros: una propuesta metodológica Márquez-Huitzil, Roberto Martínez-Garza, Cristina Osorio Beristain, Marcela collateral effects ecosystem restoration ecological trap heavy metals mining tailings efectos colaterales jales metales pesados restauración de ecosistemas trampa ecológica Background and Aims: In Mexico there are accumulations of toxic and unstable materials discarded by mining, called tailings, which represent a potential and effective risk for ecosystems and society. Ecological restoration in combination with other mitigation strategies offer an alternative to mitigate these environmental impacts and reverse the ecosystem degradation caused by tailings. This work raises some considerations and proposes a methodology to apply the ecological restoration to tailings.Methods: The effects and risks caused by the deposit of tailings in the open pit were described based on the characteristics of the materials and the ecosystem in which they are deposited, applying and adapting criteria such as those used in the Evaluation of the Ecological Impact. Based on this, some guidelines and considerations were proposed to mitigate tailings. The limitations of some mitigation techniques with organisms or organic matter were also analyzed, due to their potential collateral impacts.Key results: The methodological proposal considers actions to mitigate a mining tailing that integrate the ecosystem and its functioning, directed towards an ecosystem restoration. On the one hand, these guidelines consider aspects related to the toxicity and stability of tailings and, on the other hand, the characteristics and ecosystem processes affected by their deposit. This proposal considers ten steps that incorporate different aspects that must be addressed to achieve restoration in tailings deposits.Conclusions: Through an ecosystem approach, as in ecological restoration, the environmental problems of contamination and instability of the tailings are solved. Also avoiding the collateral impacts of the mitigation strategies themselves, such as the creation of ecological traps or making contaminants bioavailable, introducing them into the food chain without compensating for the ecosystem impacts caused by their deposit. Antecedentes y Objetivos: México presenta acumulaciones de materiales tóxicos e inestables desechados por la minería, llamados jales, representando un riesgo potencial y efectivo para los ecosistemas y la sociedad. La restauración ecológica en combinación con otras estrategias de mitigación ofrece una alternativa para disminuir estos impactos ambientales y revertir la degradación del ecosistema por los jales. Este trabajo plantea algunas consideraciones y propone una metodología para aplicar la restauración ecológica a los jales.Métodos: Se describieron las afectaciones y riesgos ocasionados por el depósito de jales a partir de las características de los materiales y del ecosistema donde se depositan, aplicando y adecuando criterios como los utilizados en la Evaluación del Impacto Ecológico. A partir de esto, se plantearon algunas consideraciones para mitigar los jales. También se analizaron las limitaciones de algunas técnicas de mitigación con organismos o materia orgánica, por sus impactos colaterales potenciales.Resultados clave: La propuesta metodológica considera acciones de mitigación de un jal que integren al ecosistema y su funcionamiento, dirigidos hacia una restauración ecosistémica. Por una parte, estos lineamientos consideran aspectos relacionados con la toxicidad y estabilidad de los jales y, por la otra, características y procesos ecosistémicos afectados por su depósito. Esta propuesta considera diez pasos que incorporan distintos aspectos que deben abordarse para la restauración en los depósitos de jales.Conclusiones: Mediante un enfoque ecosistémico, como en la restauración ecológica, se resuelven los problemas ambientales de contaminación e inestabilidad de los jales. Evitando también los impactos colaterales de las propias estrategias de mitigación como la creación de trampas ecológicas o haciendo biodisponibles los contaminantes, introduciéndolos a la cadena trófica sin compensar los impactos ecosistémicos provocados por su depósito. Instituto de Ecología, A.C. 2022-12-09 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf text/xml application/epub+zip https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019 10.21829/abm129.2022.2019 Acta Botanica Mexicana; No. 129 (2022) Acta Botanica Mexicana; Núm. 129 (2022) 2448-7589 0187-7151 spa https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019/4326 https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019/4356 https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019/4327 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Márquez-Huitzil, Roberto Martínez-Garza, Cristina Osorio Beristain, Marcela Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title | Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title_full | Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title_fullStr | Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title_short | Adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| title_sort | adopting ecological restoration goals as a critical goal in mining tailings mitigation: a methodological proposal |
| url | https://abm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/abm/article/view/2019 |
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