British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium

Attitudes toward native species in reclamation Smyth, Clint R.

Abstract

An attitude/opinion survey designed to describe reclamationists attitudes toward agronomic and native species use in high-elevation reclamation programs was administered to 116 potential respondents representing government regulators, suppliers and consultants and industry environmental and engineering personnel. Species suitability was considered to be very important by a large majority (98%) of respondents, but many were uncertain as to the utility of agronomic species in high-elevation reclamation programs. Most respondents indicated that the inclusion of grass species is necessary for successful reclamation of highelevation disturbances but were uncertain about the necessity of including legume species. In general, results were inconclusive with respect to the use of native species and their benefits to longterm revegetation success within high-elevation mine reclamation programs. Native species 'islands' were considered useful as seed sources for plant successional development by most respondents. Attitudes toward the aesthetic benefits of native species were inconclusive. The use of native species as a method of reducing the visual contrast between disturbed and undisturbed areas was not favored strongly. Attitudes towards commercial production of native species favored both the expanded production of native species seed and native species seed or seedling development programs. Keywords: attitudes, opinion, reclamation, native species, agronomics.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International