Abstract:

West China is usually regarded as an important curtain safeguarding ecological security of the country. Large-scale exploitation of the mineral resources there has caused damages to the eco-environment of the region to a certain extent, which has become one of the most important factors restraining sustainable development of the regional economy and society. On the basis of the differentiation and analysis of concepts related to eco-environmental damage caused by mining, status quo of the mineral resources and characteristics of their exploitation in the twelve provinces, autonomous regions or metropolises in West China were elaborated and major eco-environmental damage problems, such as land destruction in mining areas, damage of ecological integrity, soil and water losses, land desertification, environmental pollution, etc., and their adverse impacts defined and discussed. A series of countermeasures were set forth for supervision of eco-environment in areas of mining activities, including (1) strictly implementing the existing policies related to eco-environment protection; (2) establishing a national eco-environmental supervision system; (3) developing a special program for damage monitoring, risk assessment, protection and restoration of the eco-environment in mining areas of West China; and (4) specifying- responsibilities of the local governments at various levels and enterprises involved in mining activities for damage of the eco-environment, in expectation of providing some valuable references for decision-making on strengthening protection and restoration of the eco-environment of the region.

Key words: mining area, ecological destruction, environmental pollution, eco-environmental damage, ecological supervision countermeasures, West China