Assessment of Land Reclamation Benefits in Mining Areas Using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

Land reclamation plays a vital role in the ecological improvement and economic development of mining regions. This study aims to conduct a preliminary discussion on the evaluation content, evaluation methods, and evaluation indicators of land reclamation benefits in mining areas. Using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method, land reclamation was assessed. After compiling a model of the land reclamation influencing factors, an evaluation index of land reclamation benefit in the mining area was constructed using the land reclamation monitoring data for the northern part of the mining area over the last decade. In addition, an expert scoring method and a traditional evaluation model were used to estimate the comprehensive benefits of land reclamation at Hanjiawan coal mine in Shendong mining area. Land reclamation markedly improved the land type within the mining region and decreased the amount of damaged land, including subsided and occupied land. Moreover, land reclamation improved the available land area such as agricultural and construction land. The proposed model obtained an overall 63% increase in the land reclamation area. Different degrees of ecological, economic, and social benefits of Hanjiawan coal mine were observed; however, the ecological benefits were the most significant, with a growth rate of 56%. Based on the evaluation criteria, all benefits of the mining area after reclamation were good. Over time, land reclamation will offer greater comprehensive benefits to the mining area. Furthermore, this method can be used for precise evaluation of comprehensive benefits after land reclamation, and the assessment results will provide a reference basis for sustainable development of the mining area.