Abstract

Measuring soil parameters to use as indicators of ecosystem sustainability or to define soil quality is an increasingly common theme in land management. These are equally applicable for rehabilitation of soils disturbed during mining, where reestablishment of a sustainable ecosystem requires vegetative diversity and productivity that are appropriate for the desired end use. Plant productivity, which is a key driver of many processes in a sustainable ecosystem, directly reflects the soil conditions that have been created. Therefore constructing an appropriate soil environment is a crucial first step in rehabilitation.