| Summary: | Bibliography: leaves 86-92. === Quarry operations are only a temporary use of the land, while the environmental impacts associated with them are more long term. For this reason, it is unacceptable to merely abandon a quarry once operations have ceased. This study considers the role of rehabilitation in providing solutions for the disturbances caused by quarrying. The value of adopting a pre-planning approach towards rehabilitation is considered, and the components of a rehabilitation programme are identified. Using this information a rehabilitation checklist is drawn up. A survey of thirty rehabilitation reports, submitted to the Cape Town regional offices of the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs, was undertaken using the checklist. Results of this survey indicate that rehabilitation reports are submitted merely to meet the minimum legal requirements contained in the Minerals Act of 1991 (Act No 50 of 1991). This study recommends that successful rehabilitation will only be achieved when rehabilitation reports function as effective working documents.
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