Land Rehabilitation and Restorations
ICL Rotem has a multidisciplinary approach involving, among others, mining engineers and landscape architects, as well as ecologists for consultation, to ensure the optimal conduct of the process. The mining process in ICL Rotem’s various mines includes meticulous planning before mining commences. Multiple environmental factors are taken into consideration, including visibility, watersheds and the general built of the land.
The process also includes site tours of the area with key stakeholders, such as the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the Ministry for Environmental Protection, Ministry of Energy, local officials and other government agencies, to ensure perspective and balance, education and transparency.
Reclamation of Phosphate Mines During Mining
Mine reclamation is the practice of maintaining the similar landscape of mined areas and restoring its functionality, or preparing it for other beneficial social, environmental or economic uses, while minimizing interference with sensitive land. Reclamation, although performed after mining is completed, is best suited when planned prior to mining and conducted throughout the mining process.
At the initiation of a mined block, ICL Rotem removes the top soil, either spreading it over a reclaimed area or temporarily storing it.. The overburden layer is then also removed from the specific mined block’s surface and placed in another block in which mining has been completed.
When the mining of a block is completed, it undergoes topographical shaping and is then covered with topsoil. The reclaimed block surface is shaped similarly to its original topography. It is purposely designed to slow runoff, to create microclimate conditions for local flora and fauna, and to allow rapid renewal of vegetation.
ICL’s outstanding accomplishments in the field of ‘reclamation during mining’ were recognized by the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).
In 2015, ICL Rotem won first runner up in the Green Leaf Award, a bi-annual competition conducted by the IFA, due to its extensive and innovative activity in the reclamation process of phosphate mines.
The Green Leaf Award was established to promote and recognize extraordinary activity and innovation in sustainability throughout the global fertilizers industry.
Since 2016, ICL Rotem has also been participating in an academic cooperative research, which examines the ecological and biodiversity effectiveness of the ‘reclamation during mining’ process. The research is led by the Spatial Ecology Lab, professor Yaron Ziv and Dr. Guy Rotem, from the Department of Life Sciences at Ben Gurion University. Reclaimed areas are compared to adjacent undisturbed land cells. The Researched parameters include soil chemistry, soil microbiology, vegetation growth potential, abundance and types of Arthropod animals and remote sensing land analysis.
The research so far, shows that there are differences in reclaimed areas and undisturbed areas in regards to diversity. In regards to soil characteristics, it seems that the soil in the reclaimed areas has a higher electrical conductance which inhibits vegetation growth. There is also a lack of organic material, especially in reclaimed areas. The richness and diversity of microorganisms it lower in rehabilitated areas than in natural, undisturbed areas.
Regarding vegetation, the results point to the lack of seed banks in the rehabilitated soil as one of the main causes for less vegetation there. But as time passes, it seems that rehabilitated areas become more similar to the natural areas.
ICL Rotem sees the importance of continuing this research, so to understand the long term change and impact, as well as identify the best ways to proceed with ecological rehabilitation.
The research is also looking at various ways on how to speed up the regeneration of the ecosystem on the reclaimed areas. This is a significant challenge, as the solution would need to be used on large areas.
This pioneering research is unique in its wide scope, it scientifically examines the effectiveness of open-mine reclamation in arid and hyper-arid lands on multiple dimensions, using methodologies ranging from soil analysis to remote sensing.
Strengthening the of Vulture Population of the Negev Region
In 2007, ICL Rotem began to cooperate with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority on a project to increase the population of birds of prey in the Negev. The project’s goals include supplying food to the birds, monitoring their activity and environmental education related to the birds of prey. While there has been a decline in the population of birds of prey in Israel, the largest number of nesting sites has been found in the Negev region.
