"Mining, especially in open pits, as well as other industrial activities claim large land areas and leave them in a barren and contaminated state once the operation is completed. Decontaminating such post-industrial sites and restoring them with a functioning ecosystem has become a prime challenge for countries world-wide, in particular those with limited arable soil and forest resources. Ecological engineering helps this process along, by managing the microbiology and plant cover for a speedy recovery of essential ecosystem services"-- Provided by publisher.