Viridis Terra uses ecological restoration to revive nature after mining operations
V
iridis Terra is a Canadian green tech company that specializes in the fields of ecosystem restoration and sustainable management to fight land degradation around the globe.
They focus on the restoration of lands and soils, the formulation, implementation and sustainable management of large-scale reforestation, afforestation, and agroforest landscape restoration projects. The team of 45-plus is currently working in Canada, Haiti, Burkina Faso, and Peru. Before: 1. Open pit under mining; 2. Waste rock dumps; 3. Tailings ponds; and 4. Mining infrastructure.
Mine Restoration: Restore After Use Mine restoration is an effective means for supporting sustainable development approaches for mining operations, as well as for maintaining the social licence to operate. Rapid mitigation of the negative effects of mining on the environment and local communities is achieved through restoration by containing and eliminating contaminants, reducing air and water pollution, allowing for the recovery of naturally resilient landscape and recovering biodiversity. The establishment of self-sustaining healthy ecosystems without the release of contaminants is required when considering mining restoration. However, it can take more than 100 years to recover durable resilient natural ecosystems with traditional reclamation and rehabilitation technique currently used in the mining context.
The Solution
After: Restored,
On mining sites without contaminant issues, they focus
sustainable, resilient,
on accelerating the natural processes of ecosystem
and healthy
restoration and recovery. Firstly, an ecological, climatic,
ecosystems.
and edaphic study of the mined areas versus the nearby natural ecosystems is carried out. Then, based on this study, a low-cost ecological restoration strategy, using the fewest possible number of inputs and least possible amount of site preparation, is developed, and implemented with their own technologies. This enables direct reforestation and vegetation of mine waste in a
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During: 1. Open pit under mining; 2. Progressive restoration of waste rock piles; 3. Trials to optimize and adapt technologies to site conditions; 4. Containment of residues; 5. Local production of green inputs for restoration purposes; 6. Phyto-Bio-Filters for the control of effluents; and 7. Industrial ecology: Valuation and reuse of residual materials.
