The clearing of large tracks of land for surface mining has serious effects on vegetation, soil and the ecosystem as a whole. As a result, such lands need to undergo post-mining rehabilitation in order to restore their value and productivity. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of reclamation activities at some degraded mine sites located in the Damang area of the western region of Ghana, based on soil nutrients availability. Levels of macro and micro nutrients in five reclaimed sites and one undisturbed site, used as control, were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. For the macro nutrients, the control site recorded the highest values of 0.27% and 8mg/kg for Nitrogen and Phosphorus respectively while the lowest values of 0.04 % and 1.2mg/kg were recorded at RS2 and RS1 respectively. Also, the highest value for Iron, 33.3mg/kg, was recorded at CS with the lowest value of 3.1mg/kg recorded at RS1. All the values of the micro-nutrients were within the permissible levels set by the FAO. The results generally indicate that the reclamation exercise is achieving some degree of success. Regulatory agencies should undertake continuous monitoring of reclamation activities to ascertain their success or otherwise.
Keywords: Land Degradation, Rehabilitation, Surface mining, soil nutrients
