Order No. A-138 of the Minister of Nature, Environment and Tourism validating the “Methodology of technical and biological reclamation of disturbed lands due to mining”.

This Methodology of technical and biological reclamation of disturbed lands due to mining establishes a set of measures aimed at restoring the value of the disturbed land, improving productivity, and environmental conditions of land area for the benefit of the community. It envisages arrangements for land reclamation, soil improvement and biological rehabilitation of disturbed land. The objective of rehabilitation of land disturbed by open pit mining shall be to restore agricultural land for subsequent use for agricultural production, pastures, haymaking and crop production. The objective rehabilitation of forested areas shall be afforestation with a view of planting forest nurseries for plant production of forest species. The objective of rehabilitation of waterbodies shall be to restore water abstraction for households and industrial water uses, irrigation, recreational water uses and fishfarming. This Methodology sets forth maximum permissible soil pollution levels, in particular by hazardous and toxic substances. For the purpose of increasing the fertility of land area destined for rehabilitation and soil improvement shall be taken into account the proposed reclamation area and the following activities will be considered: (a) essential requirements for soil improvement in the rehabilitation area; (b) preparation of land area destined for rehabilitation; (c) the amount of topsoil stocked to be used for rehabilitation; (d) characteristics of fertile soil layer; (e) material and its availability for soil improvement; and (f) the future use of the rehabilitated area and the environmental, social and economic benefits.