India is endowed with significant mineral resources. India produces 89 minerals. It is also one of the ‘mega-diversity’ countries in the world in terms of people, culture and biodiversity. In India deposits of many economically important minerals, like coal, iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite etc. are located in forested areas, sometimes in close proximity to Protected Areas. Over 100 Protected Areas (PAs or National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves) and ecologically important areas are affected by various mining operations, some active and others abandoned. The impacts of mining on the environment and people are manifold. The extent of the ecological impacts are also more in terms of its interrelation with socio-economic, health and cultural aspects in areas inhabited by ecosystem dependent communities. Besides physical displacement, mining activities can destroy sustainable livelihoods based on harvesting renewable forest produce and subsistence agriculture, both linked to wild and domesticated biodiversity; cause a loss of traditional knowledge related to the biodiversity. Inappropriate processes of mine closure can have far-reaching consequences, especially in ecologically sensitive areas.

This presentation explores various ways to undone the adverse effects of mining in ecologically important areas and on local people who often belong to poor and underprivileged sections of the society. Here we present strategy that attempts to integrate poverty reduction and ecological restoration. We explore potential market-based approaches such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity offsets as well as time-tested models where members of the community are involved actively in restoration program from its inception.