Self-healing, natural restoration and artificial restoration of ecological environment for coal mining

Coal mining inevitably leads to the ecological damage in mining areas. Most of the researches and practices placed an emphasis on artificial restoration in the past research activities. However, the differences among self-healing, natural restoration and artificial restoration should be distinguished, which could benefit the cost and effectiveness of reclamation. Based on introduction of the concept of ecological restoration for mining areas, the interrelations of self-healing, natural restoration and artificial restoration were discussed, and a cost-effective strategy for mining ecological restoration represented in this paper. The research shows that the progresses of the damaged natural environment repaired by artificial or natural power are called artificial restoration and natural restoration, respectively. The self-healing of ecosystem and natural restoration are both relying on the natural power, which are all identified as the natural restoration. The self-healing of mining ecological environment means that a part of damage is recovered automatically by mining driving force during the process of ecological damage, which is in the process of mining. Based on the theory of mining subsidence, the mechanism of the self-healing was revealed. Therefore, ecological restoration caused by coal mining should follow some principles: firstly, the damage characteristics must be analyzed and the possibility of self-healing and natural restoration should be determined; secondly, the districts of self-healing, natural restoration and artificial restoration should be classified and corresponding restoration planes could be made; thirdly, self-healing and natural restoration should be paid much attention in fragile ecology region and artificial restoration should be reduced as much as possible, so the natural succession and ecosystem balance can be realized.