Selection of suitable plant species for sungun copper mine reclamation by multiple attribute decision making methods (AHP-SMARTER-TOPSIS)

The land that was influenced by mining operations especially waste dump, was increased continuously. Therefore the necessity of mine reclamation is more important than the past. Plant species selection is one of the main topics in open pit mine reclamation regarding mined land use and environmental protection.

In this research, the selection of suitable plant species regarding the environmental rehabilitation of Songun copper mine was performed. At first, suitable plant species were selected by main criteria such as post-mining land use, climatic condition, and ecological parameters of soil. Then selected species were ranked based on a completed questionnaire with experts by the combination of Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMARTER), and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods.

Suitable tree species in acidic and metallic pollutant land are Ulmus minor, Juniperus communis, Betula pendula, Robiniapseudoacacia, Acer compestre, and Rhus coriria, respectively. Native tree species such as Ficus carica, Fraxinus excelsior, and Juglans regia were selected for the alkaline region, respectively.

From the selected tree species for this region, the more successful species in reducing pollution and preventing soil erosion are preferred. Robiniapseudoacacia is not considered one of the native trees of the region. Still, because it is more successful than other trees in environmental protection, it was selected as the superior plant species for this region. Among the native species of the region, Acer campestre takes priority due to the purpose of preserving the environment.