Eco-product accounting and enhancement for rehabilitated land in mining area: methodologies and policies for sustainable development

Abstract

Currently, mining is one of the largest organized human activities that change land use patterns and damage terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in many ecological and environmental problems. To address these issues, it is crucial to restore the original ecological balance of the mining area. This requires us to attach great importance to the improvement of ecosystem service functions while promoting physical restoration in mining areas, that is, to deeply explore and enhance the value of ecological products. Currently, the relevant research is insufficient in quantifying the value of intangible ecological products; moreover, it is lacking in the standardization of evaluation methods and marketization mechanisms. Therefore, this study aims to develop scientific value accounting methods and discuss value realization mechanisms. This study focused on the rehabilitated land in the Pingshuo mining area in Shanxi Province of China, and improves the connotation and concept of ecological products of rehabilitated land in mining areas. In this study, the replacement market method was used to value the various services and products provided by the ecosystem. The value of ecological products in the study area was conducted a spatiotemporal dynamic evaluation using the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test. Moreover, the application of the results of ecological products accounting in the ecological environment construction of mining area was evaluated, and the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products in mining areas was explored. From 2000 to 2019, the value of ecological products in the Pingshuo mining area rose from ¥351.03 million to ¥508.56 million, exceeding local GDP. Water retention (WR) and climate regulation (CR) ecological products were the most prominent contributors, and the overall value of ecological products in the mining area consistently demonstrated a growth trend. Nevertheless, the values of carbon sequestration (CS), oxygen release (OR), and CR experienced fluctuations in certain years. By integrating Mann-Kendall spatiotemporal analysis into replacement cost methods, our study overcomes limitations of static evaluations in earlier work. We propose a dynamic valuation framework that can be replicated in other degraded ecosystems globally. Our findings advocate for embedding Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) into national economic accounting systems as a complement to GDP, and establishing market-driven mechanisms (e.g., carbon credit trading) to incentivize ecological restoration in mining areas. These innovations provide actionable policy tools for balancing economic growth with ecological sustainability.