Objective This study investigates the effects of coal mining on vegetation communities and soil nutrients, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for ecological restoration in alpine mining areas. Methods Taking a typical mining area of the Muli Coalfield, Haixi, Qinghai Province, as the study area, the restoration effects in 2-and 9-year-old artificially restored areas were compared through vegetation community surveys and soil nutrient measurements. Results Mining caused landscape fragmentation, resulting in mining pits and gangue piles with extremely low vegetation coverage and biomass. Soil moisture, total carbon (TC), and total nitrogen (TN) in these disturbed areas were significantly lower than in the native grasslands, with gangue piles showing the most drastic reductions (decreases of 90.9%, 68.9%, and 88.2%, respectively). Available phosphorus (AP) was critically deficient. After 2 years of artificial restoration (primarily planting Poa pratensis and Elymus nutans, supplemented with sheep manure and organic fertilizer to improve soil fertility), vegetation coverage recovered to levels comparable to native grassland, and AP content increased significantly to 163.4 mg/kg. However, after 9 years of restoration, both vegetation coverage (31.75%) and belowground biomass (524.7 g/m2) became significantly lower than in native grassland. In the 2-year restored grassland, soil moisture (42.7%), TC (149.6 g/kg), TN (8.6 g/kg), and organic carbon (144.1 g/kg) were all significantly lower than in native grassland (p<0.05). This decreasing trend became more pronounced after 9 years of restoration, while AP remained critically low. Grey relational and correlation analyses indicated that vegetation indices were significantly positively correlated with soil moisture, TN, TC, and organic carbon, with the highest ecological benefit observed with 2-year restoration. Conclusion Artificial restoration in alpine mining areas can effectively improve vegetation and soil conditions in the short term but is highly intervention-dependent, exhibiting poor long-term stability. A balance between artificial intervention and natural recovery processes is crucial.
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