# Environmentally Friendly Rock Mining--Case Study of the Limestone Mine \"Gorazdze\", Poland
## 4. Reclamation Directions for the Limestone Mine \"Gorazdze\"
The nearest ones are situated 2.5 km from the north side of the documented deposit, in the form of water reservoirs created by artificial lowering of the area of former sand excavation. The water-bearing layer, which is revealed as the mining process progresses, occurs at the depth of shell limestone deposits and has a free character. The spatial structure of the region is strongly related to industry. There are numerous cement and lime plants nearby, and also areas under legal protection, such as the \"St. Anne's Mountain\" Landscape Park with numerous karst forms, the \"Ligota Dolna\" nature reserve and the protected \"Niemodlinskie Forests\" landscape. Within the boundaries of the mine, there are forests, and also depleted excavations that form sets of ponds, which are a refuge for numerous and often rare species of plants and animals. Therefore, in order to protect the unique collections of the _Sorbus terminalis_ wild service trees, the \"Kamien Slaski\" Nature Reserve was created in the \"Gorazdze\" Mine. Around the reserve there are complexes of coniferous stands with a predominance of common pine (_Pinus sylvestris_) with an admixture of deciduous trees. The mine also has grassy, cultivated and wild vegetation, and there are also inanimate nature monuments, i.e., geological and mineralogical specimens in the form of rock formations, which make the picturesque area more attractive. Valuable specimens of fauna and flora and interesting forms of landscape architecture found in the mine has allowed for the creation of a nature and educational path. The trail includes seven natural sites: natural succession, biodiversity program, pond I, pond II, graceful cattail, karst sinkholes and the \"Kamien Slaski\" reserve. Taking into account the valuable natural properties of the mine area in the form of rare and protected species of fauna and flora and inanimate nature, as well as its recreational and educational potential, it is proposed to extend the current directions of reclamation (forest and aquatic) by introducing the natural, agricultural and economic directions (Figure 6). As a final result, the area would be a place with forest-meadow and didactic-recreational functions. Additionally, it is proposed that the whole area, after the limestone exploitation is finished, should be legally protected as a geopark with separated protection areas and active geotourism. Figure 6: Excavation mine divided into reclamation fields with different utility functions. The proposed extension of the reclamation directions will not interfere with the current forest direction and will serve to maintain environmental values and extend biodiversity in the depleted area. In the future, after the cessation of mining activity, the reclaimed area will also serve as a place for recreational and tourist purposes. The natural direction was proposed in order to intensively rebuild biological life, taking into account the preservation and enrichment of the existing biodiversity in the mine area and ensuring the continuity of the existence of species of fauna and flora. It is believed that this direction is appropriate because of the valuable natural values of the Gorazdze Mine. The still active limestone mine hides many rare and protected species of fauna and flora (e.g., the wild service tree _Sorbus torminalis_, bird's-nest orchid _Neotia nidus-avis_, white heleborine _Cephalathera damasornium_, small-leaved heleborine _Epipactis microphylla_). Apart from the value of animated nature, there are also interesting inanimate nature objects in the mine, such as anthropogenic rock expositions or karst sinkholes. Within the framework of the introduction of the nature-oriented reclamation direction into the mine area, it is proposed to gradually introduce water habitats in the form of water ponds, as well as rock ponds at steep expositions. Grasslands are also a specific space for the growing of separate plant and animal species.