Land Restoration Plan

What a land restoration plan is

A land restoration plan is the technical document that defines the actions needed to return land affected by an extractive, industrial or construction activity to a state compatible with its natural surroundings or with the intended subsequent use, once the activity has finished. It is a mandatory document for mining and resource extraction projects, and advisable for any project that causes a significant, temporary alteration of the land.

When it is mandatory

• Mining and extraction projects: the restoration plan is mandatory under Spanish mining legislation and its implementing regulations, and must be submitted together with the extraction project, being updated throughout the operation's working life.
• Linear works and infrastructure with temporary land occupation during the construction phase (storage areas, works access roads, working platforms).
• Renewable energy installations at the end of their working life, as part of the decommissioning plan.

What it includes

1. Diagnosis of the initial state of the land before the activity, as a reference for defining the restoration target.
2. Definition of the intended final use of the land after restoration: forestry, agricultural, natural or recreational.
3. Design of the restoration works: topographic reshaping, soil decompaction, topsoil replacement, revegetation with native species.
4. Implementation timeline for the works, usually in phases coinciding with the progress of the operation or the works.
5. Budget and financial guarantee backing the plan's execution, particularly required for mining projects.
6. Monitoring programme for the success of the restoration during the first years.

Common mistakes

• A generic restoration plan that fails to adapt revegetation species and techniques to the real soil and climate conditions of the site.
• Not updating the plan as the operation progresses when the initially foreseen conditions change.
• Underestimating the restoration budget, which can compromise the financial guarantee required by the authorities.
• Failing to coordinate the restoration plan with the compensatory measures of the Environmental Impact Study when both documents coexist in the same project.

Why choose Ideas Medioambientales

We draft land restoration plans for mining, industrial and renewable energy projects across Spain, with an in-house team of forestry engineers and biologists who design restoration techniques adapted to the real conditions of each site.

Tell us the type of project and the affected land, and we'll advise you on the scope of restoration plan you need.