AUTHOR=Daws Matthew I. , Blackburn Cameron , Standish Rachel J. , Tibbett Mark 

TITLE=Canary in the coal mine: Lessons from the Jarrah Forest suggest long-term negative effects of phosphorus fertilizer on biodiverse restoration after surface mining

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.786305

DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2022.786305

ISSN=2624-893X

ABSTRACT=Despite nutrient enrichment having widely reported negative impacts on biodiversity, fertiliser is routinely applied in post-mining restoration to enhance plant growth and establishment. Focusing on surface mine restoration (predominately bauxite and mineral sands), we outline the long-term negative impacts of fertiliser, particularly phosphorus fertiliser, on plant community composition, species richness, fire fuel loads, and belowground impacts on nutrient cycling. We draw from extensive research in south-western Australia and further afield, noting the geographical coincidence of surface mining, phosphorus impoverished soil and high plant biodiversity. We highlight the trade-offs between rapid plant-growth under fertilisation and the longer-term effects on plant communities and diversity. We note that the initial growth benefits of fertilisation may not persist in water-limited environments: resulting in unfertilised forests eventually matching fertilised forest growth throwing doubt on the premise that fertilisation is necessary at all.