Removal of superficial soil layer and mining expose the material unsuitable for plant growth. In such areas, natural regeneration is incipient and intervention to improve substrate quality is necessary for the reestablishment of a vegetative cover. This study aimed to evaluate physical, chemical, and biological evolution of a mined substrate in the Federal District of Brazil after the establishment of a Stylosanthes spp. herbaceous cover. Results show that the operations necessary for planting and growth of plants improved all measured parameters. The chemical attributes of substrate were the most improved and physical characteristics were the ones that least evolved two years after the establishment of revegetation. There was a satisfactory recovery of organic matter content, but microbial activity represented only 60% of the value measured in soils under native vegetation.
recovery; land rehabilitation; revegetation; mining; carbon
