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REVIEW article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Ecosystem Restoration
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1519868

Restoration of phosphate mined lands: literature review with insights from Morocco

Provisionally accepted

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Phosphate mining is essential for global agriculture but poses significant environmental challenges, particularly in landscape degradation. This study reviews the current state and trends of phosphate mining, highlighting economic importance, environmental impacts, and sustainability issues. It evaluates restoration techniques, focusing on the effectiveness of various plant species in restoring mined areas. Key factors influencing successful rehabilitation include topsoil management, physico-chemical site characteristics, nutrient bioavailability, topography, and water availability. The study advocates for integrated land management strategies that combine tailored nutrient management plans, erosion control, and water conservation, particularly in arid climates. Strengthening and enforcing regulatory frameworks is crucial to ensure accountability in land rehabilitation, with a focus on sustainability. Recent legal advancements in Morocco aim to modernize mining operations and enhance environmental accountability. The findings recommend increased investment in research to develop innovative rehabilitation techniques and long-term monitoring programs to ensure adaptive management and continuous improvement of restoration outcomes. a mis en forme : Couleur de police : Rouge a mis en forme : Couleur de police : Rouge

    Keywords: heavy metals, Integrated land management, Phosphate mined lands, Phytoremediation, Rehabilitation

    Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 BOURAZZA, Hassane SIDIKOU, FENTA and Hirich. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: ANASS BOURAZZA, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, Morocco

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.