Returning biodiversity of rehabilitated forest on a coal mined site at Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra

Suhartoyo H, Munawar A, Wiryono. 2012. Returning biodiversity of rehabilitated forest on a coal mined site at Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra. Biodiversitas 13: 13-17. Restoring disturbed mined land is challenging since the outcomes of various rehabilitation procedures on mined sites in terms of vegetation structure, composition and ecological function are not presently understood, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the mechanism of biodiversity recruitment, especially on structural attributes of an undisturbed forest community and rehabilitated forests of different ages on sites disturbed by coal-mining operations at Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra. Un-mined forest was characterised by complex structural features including a dense stand of trees in a range of size classes, an almost closed canopy, and a shrubby understorey. In contrast, young mined sites were characterised by a low density of woody stems, a relatively open canopy and herbaceous ground cover. Soil characteristics of rehabilitated site were progressing towards the reference site. The marked differences in structural complexity between unmined and mined sites suggest that it will will take very long time for the mined sites to recover into their original conditions. So, more restoration intervention will be needed to speed the recovery processes.