Landscape Restoration:

1. Landscape Restoration: Insights and Design Principles Gained From 25 Years Of Co-Evolution Of Science, Industry, and Regulation, Related to Florida’s Phosphate Mining Mark T. Brown Center for Wetlands Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences University of Florida

2. OR: The ecological engineering of adaptive self-organization

3. Organization of the lecture... • Description of phosphate mining • Emergy evaluation of mining and reclamation • Quick photographic overview • 25 years of Research

4. I. Phosphate Mining and Reclamation Description, historical perspective, phosphate facts...

6. Secondary area of mining (50,000 acres) Main phosphate formation… the “bone valley” (1.3 million acres)

7. Historical Perspective • Mining began in late 1800’s • Mined Peace River bottom • Until late 1930’s small scale - wide spread • Large scale mining began in 1950’s • Currently about 5000 acres /year are mined

8. Phosphate mining facts... Mined area to date………………….320,000 acres Mining rate…………………...5 - 6,000 acres/yr Total to be mined…….….700,000 acres Investment in facilities………...$10 billion Yearly wages…………………………….$300 million/yr Taxes paid………………………………..$800 million/yr Operating expenses (2001) Equip and supplies……….$990 million Electricity…………………….$100 million Services………………………..$178 million

9. Phosphate Mining vs Everglades Restoration Everglades Restoration Phosphate Reclamation Total Area 0.7 million Acres 1.5 million acres Total cost $3.6 billion $7.8 billion Yearly Op. Costs $0.0 $182 million

10. II. Quick Photographic Overview

31. Emergy Evaluation of Phosphate Mining and Reclamation

32. Systems View and Emergy of Mining

33. Emergy in Restoration...

34. Benefits of Restoration...

35. Benefits of Restoration...

36. Net Benefits Ratio...

37. III. Phosphate Mine Restoration Research 25 years of studying self organization at one level and contributing to it at another...

38. Historical Perspective…Reclamation • No reclamation until 1975 • 1975 - 1980... “pushed dirt around”, planted 10% of area in trees, made lakes Success criteria = “ hide evidence of mining” • 1980 - 1985…required to reclaim wetlands Success criteria = 400 trees/acre, 80% cover by desirable species, no visible erosion • 1985-1995…wetland reclamation, type for type Success criteria = more descriptive, but still counting. • 1995- present… Success criteria = more prescriptive..with some numerical criteria

39. Studies of the Interaction of Phosphate Mining and Wetlands 1979-1981 • Cataloged wetland responses to mining • Evaluated wetland succession on clay settling areas • Studied wetland succession

40. Seed rain is significantly affected by distance...

41. Studies of succession on clay settling areas

42. Tree ring analysis suggested that growth rates taper off in about the 20th year, and that variable growth rates result from wet and dry years Dry Dry Wet

43. Studies of a Method of Wetlands Reclamation Following Phosphate Mining. 1981-1982 Study of the use of muck from “donor” wetlands as a innoculum for constructed wetlands.

44. The first studies of “mucking”... ca 1981

45. Vegetation growth with differing amounts of applied muck

46. Wetland vegetation on mucked plots….

47. Relation of plant diversity to landscape diversity (standard deviation of 30 measures of elevation within each plot) .

48. Development of Techniques and Guidelines for the Reclamation of Phosphate Mined Lands 1982-1987 • Studied the physical and biological characteristics of native Florida ecosystems…. • Developed a handbook of restoration/construction techniques...

49. Studies of Florida ecosystems lead to development of guidelines for constructing ecosystems on mined lands….

50. Studies of drainage basin morphology lead to a “cookbook” for creating functional watersheds….