Articles | Volume 18, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6293-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6293-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
01 Sep 2026
Data description article |
| 01 Sep 2026
| 01 Sep 2026
Global surface mining and land reclamation of time series from 1985–2022
Sucheng Xu
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Institute for Ecological Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Vienna, Austria
Jiatong Zhou
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Kechao Wang
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Stefan Giljum
Institute for Ecological Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Vienna, Austria
Victor Maus
Institute for Ecological Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Vienna, Austria
Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability Research Group, Advancing Systems Analysis, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
Tim T. Werner
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie Street, Carlton, VIC, 3010, Australia
Liang Tang
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Chengdu University of Technology, 610059 Chengdu, China
Jiwang Guo
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Wu Xiao
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Land Academy for National Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Inclusive and Smart Urban-Rural Governance Lab, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Short summary
Surface mining's global footprint is vast, but its history of damage and recovery was unclear. Our study presents the first global time series of surface mining and land reclamation from 1985–2022. Across 74 000 mines, we quantified over 40 596 km² of land disturbance, revealing that this damage has far outpaced reclamation efforts, especially in fragile ecosystems. This new dataset is crucial for monitoring land health and creating policies for more sustainable mining.
Surface mining's global footprint is vast, but its history of damage and recovery was unclear....
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