Restoration experiment in a post-sand mine area on the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia

Restoring native ecosystems to areas that have been mined for mineral resources is a challenge on many levels. For example, soils in these areas are highly altered and subject to novel processes. After sand mining on the Swan Coastal Plain, soils harden from the water table up and form a duripan like layer (after two years soils can harden within 30 cm of the soil surface). The soil hardening restricts water infiltration to the water table and limits plant root growth causing high levels of plant mortality. Extreme soil hardening of this nature is not a normal process in the native intact ecosystem of the region. The research in the image demonstrates a trial attempting to reduce soil hardening in post-sand mining areas.

The frame in the image is 2 m x 2 m and is a test plot with a treatment that attempts to reduce soil hardening.

https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/restoring-perths-banksia-woodlands