Definition
Land rehabilitation is the process of returning the land in a given area to some degree of its former state, after some process has resulted in its damage. Many projects and developments will result in the land becoming degraded, for example mining, farming and forestry.
Land Rehabilitation
What is ‘Land Rehabilitation’
A re-engineering process that attempts to restore an area of land back to its natural state after it has been damaged as a result of some sort of disruption. The process involves such things as removing all man-made structures, toxins and other dangerous substances, improving the soil conditions and adding new flora.
Explaining ‘Land Rehabilitation’
Although land rehabilitation is most often used to rectify problems caused by man-made processes such as mining, oil drilling and other petrol-chemical related processes, it is also used to “clean up” natural processes. For example, natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding can also cause damage to the natural environment. Land rehabilitation techniques can be used to speed up the amount of time necessary to restore the location to back to its original state.
The demand for reclamation or rehabilitation has increased during the last few decades as resource firms become increasingly environmentally conscious and new environmental-protection laws are introduced. However, rehabilitation can be a very costly process, especially if there is a toxic cleanup involved.
Further Reading
- Some notes on the economic assessment of land degradation – onlinelibrary.wiley.com [PDF]
- Review on Progress in Land Consolidation [J] – en.cnki.com.cn [PDF]
- Regulating mine land reclamation in developing countries: The case of China – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
- Primary analysis on land consolidation benefits [J] – en.cnki.com.cn [PDF]
- THE INDEX SYSTEM AND METHOD OF LAND SUSTAINABLE USE EVALUATION – en.cnki.com.cn [PDF]
- Transition or transformation: shifting priorities and stakeholders in Australian mined land rehabilitation and closure – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
- Rehabilitation and sustainable use pattern of rocky-desertified land in Southwest China's poverty-stricken karst mountainous areas – link.springer.com [PDF]
- URBANIZATION AND VILLAGE LAND READJUSTMENT [J] – en.cnki.com.cn [PDF]
