China rolls out national standards for ecological restoration of mines

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced four national standards for the ecological restoration of mine sites, the first batch of its kind, to provide scientific guidance for mining firms in their ecological efforts.

The national standards of the ecological restoration for coal mines, metallic mines and oil, gas projects, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the reclamation and restoration of mines, have been introduced last month and will take effect in August, said Lu Lihua, an official with the Ministry of Natural Resources on Wednesday in a press conference.

They represent the first batch of national standards that put forward requirements for the ecological restoration work for mines, while absorbing both the country's experience and foreign technical standards, Lu said.

The standards clarified the ecological restoration tasks at different stages of the whole process of mineral resource exploitation activities, highlighting the different goals at each ecological restoration step, and provided authorities with technical ground to conduct oversight, Lu said.

Reflecting administrative management requirements, the standards proposed to optimize the spatial layout of mines and avoid sensitive lands, including farmland, permanent basic cropland, natural reserves and red lines for ecological protection, Lu added.

The standards are of great significance in building green mines, promoting high-quality development and advancing the implementation of the new development philosophy, Lu noted.