ASTRA - IO3_EN

Post-mining
Degraded post-mining areas
In this chapter, I would like to make an introduction to degraded areas
in Poland, Italy and Spain before the revitalisation processbegins.
Before the mine operation, the big processof degradation begins. The
course starts with the massive destruction of land and natural habitats
for wild animals and the natural environment. The case of The Doñana
Disaster in Andalusia, Southern Spain is a catastrophic exampleof an
ecological disaster during mine operation. The industrial disasterwas
caused by a holding dam that burst at the Los Frailes mine, near
Aznalcóllar, Seville Province, releasing 4–5 million cubic metres of
mine tailings causing irreversible destruction leading to a chain of
serious environmental issues in the Andalusia region. Almost 2,000
birds, chicks, eggs, and nests were killed or destroyed and more than
25,000 kilos of dead fish were collected in the aftermath. During
years of mine operation, the land eroded and degraded, these
conditions were not conducive to maintaining a good quality of mines.
In Italy in Lercara, Friddi town located in Sicily questioned
thecondition in which the miners (male, female and juvenile) worked as
well as the fragility of the mine system which was life-threatening. It
may take years to decades until the very end when the mine has been
exploited of its resources, the prosperity of the area is over. Unless,
like in Lercara Friddi, Italy the industry faced a crisis as sulphur was
no longer that relevant.
With the support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. This document and its
contents reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible
for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.