Resilience Beyond Extraction: A Critical Review of Post-Mining Land Use and Restoration Policies in Zimbabwe

Resilience Beyond Extraction: A Critical Review of Post-Mining Land Use and Restoration Policies in Zimbabwe | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Resilience Beyond Extraction: A Critical Review of Post-Mining Land Use and Restoration Policies in Zimbabwe Kevin Tirivanhu Gwatidzo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7816566/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Zimbabwe’s mining sector has long been central to its economic development, yet the legacy of environmental degradation left in the wake of extractive activities remains poorly addressed. This paper critically reviews the legal, policy, and institutional frameworks governing post-mining land use and rehabilitation in Zimbabwe, with a focus on their effectiveness, inclusivity, and enforcement. Despite the existence of regulatory instruments like the Mines and Minerals Act as well as the Environmental Management Act, implementation gaps, weak oversight, and elite-driven exploitation continue to undermine sustainable restoration practices. The study draws on political ecology and environmental justice theories to interrogate the power dynamics, ecological externalities, and community marginalization embedded in current land reclamation efforts. Using qualitative analysis of secondary data, including case studies from Hwange, Penhalonga, and Zvishavane, the paper exposes the disconnect between policy aspirations and on-the-ground realities. Abandoned open pits, contaminated water sources, and unproductive landscapes are symptomatic of a system that allows mining companies to exit without fulfilling rehabilitation obligations. The paper argues for a paradigm shift toward resilience-focused post-mining land use planning. This includes legally binding mine closure plans, reclamation bonds, transparent monitoring systems, and meaningful participation of affected communities in restoration efforts. It further advocates for integrating technological innovations such as satellite imaging, drones, and AI-driven land-use tracking to enhance transparency and accountability. Ultimately, restoring ecological integrity and socio-economic utility to post-mining landscapes is not just an environmental imperative but a test of Zimbabwe’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. Sustainable development Extraction Transparency Restoration Reclamation Resilience Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7816566","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":538948644,"identity":"4aad1bfe-07d8-43c0-bfb3-87ad429ad76f","order_by":0,"name":"Kevin Tirivanhu Gwatidzo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABC0lEQVRIie3PsWrCQBjA8QsHutytEgmcT1C4EHDTvEpCIC4OgS4OHQKCLoddK5a+hJD5ygft4hukgy7OEZdShPbuHGtix4L3h4OP4/txHEI22z/MVUeaCSOO0OQ8y+1fCDFkIxHRN9EVYlKbHDmzM0FNpDsXPmRf0AvbeF0dXj5Y2IGdemXI7vLLxCMbDssF+AK3Mn9Z7APipVyRJOjLy4S5aQRUlI7AhCe0gFh4kSYyLupIb29IqAnQZ01GVSPxXCyBfJaxIv6U5pqMm1/pikQCzb8TAa175+kNAlKOMxnx+r+476/TIzmlg/kjrKvqAVh7NVLDZMjqiMmZ/briDeum07UFm81mu+l+ACG7ZNGOGf4SAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Zimbabwe Open University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kevin","middleName":"Tirivanhu","lastName":"Gwatidzo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-09 10:53:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7816566/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7816566/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":95095250,"identity":"c2a75e79-9741-4adb-ad27-6b912268b085","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-04 09:10:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1689886,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ResilienceBeyondExtraction.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7816566/v1_covered_b035cb00-d9ec-48e7-9cfe-03447d661154.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Resilience Beyond Extraction: A Critical Review of Post-Mining Land Use and Restoration Policies in Zimbabwe","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Sustainable development, Extraction, Transparency, Restoration, Reclamation, Resilience","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7816566/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7816566/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eZimbabwe\u0026rsquo;s mining sector has long been central to its economic development, yet the legacy of environmental degradation left in the wake of extractive activities remains poorly addressed. 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