Ecological risk assessment of coal mine area based on “source-sink” landscape theory – A case study of Pingshuo mining area

Abstract Coal mining play a fundamental role in promoting economic and social progress. However, intensive mining operations have brought enormous ecological risks, such as landform destruction, vegetation degradation and biodiversity loss. Based on the “source-sink” landscape and ecological risk assessment theories, this study proposes a new methodology to comprehensively analyze the mechanism of ecological risk and makes quantitative evaluation taking Pingshuo coal mine area as an example from 2000 to 2017. The results prove that the “source-sink” landscape theory is more consistent with the nature of ecological process to distinguish the ecological risk in mining area. Within the study period, the main risk source of mining areas is the environmental disturbance brought by mining production with a spreading trend, while the pollution risk caused by residents’ life is relatively low but the scope is large. The ecological niche of risk sink (a place where ecological risks disappear) in the study area improved as a whole, the ecological vulnerability and exposure coefficient of risk sink shows a decreasing trend from core mine area to outside, and the trend was not obvious at the end stage, testifying the protective effect of environmental governance. The striking increase areas of comprehensive ecological risk are mostly concentrated in the surroundings of mining production expansion, testifying mining practice has a significant adverse impact on the contiguous natural ecosystem. Any kind of pressure from coal mine operation, residents’ production and natural erosion in mining area should not be ignored, and the high risk areas are markedly clustered around the risk sources.