Review on resource and environmental carrying capacity of mining areas in China

The excessive consumption of resources and the destruction of ecological environment in mining areas have severely restricted coal mining, and the research on resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) of mining areas is of great significance in reconciling coal mining and resource environmental protection. To review the existing research on the RECC of mining areas, the concepts of the RECC were elaborated, and then the development process and application areas of both resource carrying capacity (RCC) and environmental carrying capacity (ECC) were studied. The main methods and models involved in the RECC study were counted. The results showed that the research on the RECC of mining areas has not attracted sufficient attention, and the relevant literature is relatively few. The existing research on RECC in mining areas mainly adopts single-factor analysis, which makes it difficult to comprehensively evaluate the overall situation of RECC in mining areas. Thus, a comprehensive evaluation of the RECC of mining areas by scientific evaluation methods is required to ensure the coordinated development of coal production, resources and environment of mining areas. This review provides an important reference and guidance for the necessity and thinking of the comprehensive study of resources and environment carrying capacity in mining areas.