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| Quarry becomes home to bees, bats and other animals  After the dolomite quarrying activities in the "Mitterotter 1" section of Mineral Abbau GmbH's site in Gaaden, in the district of Mödling, were completed, a number of ideas were put forward for "giving something back to nature", as Erik Zechmann, managing director of the Strabag subsidiary Mineral Österreich, puts it. Over the next few years a total area of 180,000 m2 is to be renaturalised; the first steps are already underway:Mineral has filled in and revegetated a number of areas and set up bee hotels and bat houses across the former quarry. The structures were built by students at the technical secondary school HTL Mödling's department for interior design and furniture construction. In the next project phase, the quarry area will be filled in with excavated earth and the landscape will be adapted to match the natural habitats found in the Limestone Vienna Woods. In a later phase steep rock faces, loamy areas on southern slopes and a wetland biotope will be added. The project's prime objective is to restore the natural habitats for domestic animal and plant species and to promote biological diversity with nutrient-poor and structurally rich conditions. In addition, individual design elements will aid improvements in wind protection, promote the microclimate and protect against erosion. All of these measures have been coordinated with qualified experts in each field and approved by the competent authorities. Conveyor belts for transporting stone material have been set up in the Mitterotter 2 and 3 sections of the quarry and are to begin operation shortly. The new systems will help cut diesel consumption by 230,000 litres and CO2 emissions by 500 tonnes annually – fuel that was needed by the heavy lorries in the quarry for transporting the stone. Moreover, the conveyor belts are expected to help reduce dust and noise pollution as well. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Construction News :: home page |