Restoration of disturbed lands is one of the criteria for sustainable development
Relevance. Sustainable development is maintaining the amount of renewable resources through the reproduction of used and restoration of disturbed ones. This criterion is directly related to the restoration of land disturbed by mining, primarily opencast mining. At the same time, almost half of the disturbed lands are still not being rehabilitated. Purpose of the study is to confirm the unsatisfactory state of reclamation of disturbed lands, inhibiting the transition of enterprises developing the resources of the subsoil to sustainable development. Research methods - during the research process, the methods of factor and comparative analysis were used, as well as some statistical research methods: generalization, grouping, comparison, etc. Results. Generalization and analysis of the criteria for sustainable development have confirmed the importance of restoring disturbed lands to ensure the sustainable development of enterprises that develop subsoil resources. The relevance of remediation work is determined by the environmental component (goal 15) of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the recognition of the importance of the concept of biotic regulation, which requires the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. The state of the land fund has been analyzed from the standpoint of the presence of disturbed lands since the beginning of the 1960s. Among the disturbed lands, a share was determined due to the development of mineral deposits, including for modern conditions in certain regions (from 47 to 94%). The structure with the largest amount of disturbed land and the largest amount of reclaimed land is identified. The structures of reclaimed land associated with the development of mineral deposits, construction and logging, waste disposal have been identified. The share of land occupied by dumps and tailing dumps has been determined, the reduction of which requires the implementation of a dump management system and the application of environmental measures. The evolution of the concept of "reclamation", which is currently replaced by the concept of "revitalization", is considered. Conclusions. The unsatisfactory state of reclamation of disturbed lands, including mining, was confirmed. It is proved that the most problematic regions are those belonging to the number of mineral resource centers. The current period is characterized by 30-35% restoration of disturbed lands. The obtained results predetermine the relevance and timeliness of solving this problem in order to ensure the sustainable development of the Russian mining complex.