Overview of Rehabilitation Research of Diamond Mine Wastes in the Hudson Bay Lowland

One of my research goals is to develop protocols for ecosystem rehabilitation after mining in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, in a similar fashion as has been developed for the peat extraction industry in eastern Canada . Such protocols would detail the best management practices (BMPs) needed to return valuable ecosystem services to mining-disturbed landscapes. Much sound information can be borrowed from other high boreal or subarctic regions with extensive development, such as from the Alberta
bitumen mines, but local research is also required to build sound BMPs for the HBL. My students and I have conducted research around the De Beers Canada Victor Mine on (i) the restoration of disturbed peatlands areas; (ii) the selection of suitable reference conditions to determine mine waste reclamation targets; (iii) upland substrate mixes suitable for natural vegetation made from mine wastes and organic materials; (iv) best plant species to reclaim upland mine sites; (v) field tests of the abilities of soil mixes to support native plant species; and (vi) best protocols for seed collection and the valuation. In this presentation,