Life post mining: Using soil amendments to promote soil quality and native plant recruitment for arid landscape rehabilitation

Soil health is paramount in facilitating successful post-mining rehabilitation in arid landscapes. This thesis evaluates the use
of organic and inorganic amendments for improving the quality of reconstructed soils on an active iron-ore mine site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Overall, inorganic amendments, i.e. gypsum and urea, are not suitable for application in arid regions while organic amendments, i.e. mulches, can improve substrate quality over a longer time frame. This thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of how to reconstruct and improve mining substrates and contributed to developing effective soil management strategies to enable successful rehabilitation.