Effects of mining on the ecosystems integrating GIS and hydrological model

Natural and anthropogenic (e.g. land cover/land use change) processes can lead to ecosystems change dramatically on timescales from years to decades. Especially, land cover/land use changes by mining can have drastic impacts on ecosystems and basin-wide water budgets. Phosphate rock is an important strategic resource. China and U.S. are two major phosphate reserves counties in the world and both facing the same problem of reclamation for post-mining. In this study, the current conditions and status of phosphate mining in China and U.S. are reviewed. And, the advanced methods using an interdisciplinary approach integrated 3S (RS, GIS and GPS) high-tech means to extract hydro-ecological environment, and coupling of hydrological model to simulate the land cover/land use changes by phosphate mining behavior (e.g., flow and water table) are introduced. The various impacts of land use changes on the domain ecosystems can be evaluated by comparing pre-mining and post-mining conditions using GIS and RS coupled with HSPF hydrologic model. As the rehabilitation and reconstruction of ecological environment in abandoned mining area, it has a positive meaning for regional eco-environment, also to improve the living conditions of local residents in an effective way.