Mining disturbs ecosystems. This is a fact, but disturbance is also an integral part of nature. Where mining (or any other human activity) is the root cause of this disturbance, there is however some motivation to fix the damage through ecological restoration. Ecological restoration is the intentional assisted recovery of a disturbed ecosystem's natural characteristics (see Box 1 for a clarification of terms). Restoration encompasses a range of activities, including the eventual re-shaping of altered landforms, the engineering of soils, the introduction of organisms, and the monitoring of their fortunes. Importantly, restoration is not just about digging holes with spades and planting seedlings. It is essentially the careful study and then management of natural processes.