Abstract:

With the support of the Special Foundation for State Major Basic Research Program of China, investigations of driving factors of land degradation in major mining areas in West China were launched in early 2014. According to the overall investigation plan, 51 coal mining areas are to be generally surveyed, 12 key coal mining areas, 17 key metal mining areas and 8 key non-metal mining areas to be investigated in detail, and 2 coal mining areas to be tracked and monitored with focus on factors of land degradation, thus forming five sub-projects. In the 2 years since this plan was launched, the research group of this project has finished the compilation of a technical scheme and regulations for the survey, the construction of a platform for physical geography and environment background database of the mining areas, the survey and investigations of nearly 60% of tasks and acquisition of primary mastery of the characteristics, and the rules and driving factors of the land degradations in important coal, metal mines and non-metal mining areas in West China. Results of the surveys and investigations show that driving factors of land degradation varied with the type of the mine resources exploited and so did the type of land destruction with geographic location.

Key words: exploitation of mineral resources, land degradation, investigation, West China