Restoring a High-Altitude Mine Slope at De’erni

At De’erni, a copper mine on the Ani Maqen range, the restoration challenge begins with damaged alpine meadow and eroding slopes. A 2025 report describes waste embankments and the loss of original grassland after open-pit mining. The report describes restoration work at 4,430 meters, where scarce soil complicates repair.

The report follows a practical problem: “without soil, a slope cannot hold water.” Workers processed nearby softer serpentinite into a composite soil to support plant growth. For water retention, they adapted ideas from terraces and grass grids. These actions address the two linked needs of a high-altitude slope: a growing medium and a way to keep moisture in place.

The report identifies De’erni as an operating mine and recounts the company’s account of learning from ecological damage after production began in 2006. It says basic restoration work was completed the previous year and that the mine was included in a national model-case list in October. The article records these as milestones in the mine’s restoration program.

The terrain makes the work visible: thin soil on a steep slope, water moving downhill, and new vegetation expected to take hold. Restoration here is a set of specific engineering choices—soil, water and plant cover—made under high-altitude conditions.