Environmental aspects of rehabilitating abandoned quarries: Israel as a case study: Fid-Bau Portal

Environmental aspects of rehabilitating abandoned quarries: Israel as a case study

Milgrom, Tamar

AbstractQuarries that are left untreated after closure cause extensive land disturbances and have negative safety and environmental impacts. The original ecosystems have been removed, the original topography has been significantly changed, the fundamental ecological relations are irreversibly disrupted, and the biodiversity is greatly reduced. This research focuses on the environmental aspects of rehabilitating abandoned quarries and their future designation land use, emphasizing the theme of abandoned quarries in Israel. Quarry rehabilitation legislation guidelines obligate implementation of reclamation but, unfortunately, these have proven to be ineffective. The purpose of this current research was to locate abandoned quarries according to Israeli Comprehensive National Outline Plan for Planning, Building and Conservation, and to determine the best future land use of the abandoned quarries as open spaces or as developmental projects. The research findings show that more abandoned quarries are located in areas designated for conservation than in areas intended for development projects. Therefore, abandoned quarries that are located in conservation areas should be rehabilitated as open spaces. Those in urban and rural areas should be rehabilitated as development projects, or as open spaces and agricultural land uses, or as combined land uses.