Spatial and temporal changes in vegetation coverage in Huayuan County and the influence of Chinese policies on vegetation coverage

• We studied the influence of policy on FVC of lead and zinc mine in Huayuan County. • The spatial relationship of FVC in mining area is studied by using Moran index. • It is found that policy can promote vegetation restoration in mining area. The vegetation in Huayuan County was seriously damaged during the mining process. Using remote sensing data, the vegetation coverage in the Huayuan County lead–zinc mining area was analysed to explore the temporal trends and driving factors of the FVC. As calculated from remote sensing data, the average FVC decreased rapidly from 0.74 to 0.36 from 2000--2008, with no significant change from 2009 to -2018, and gradually recovered from 0.36 to 0.5 from 2019--2024. Two typical mining areas were selected for research. After artificial reclamation, the damaged vegetation can be restored, whereas the vegetation in the naturally restored mining area is difficult to restore. The cluster map of the mining area is obtained via the Moran index, which reveals that artificial reclamation has an obvious effect on vegetation restoration. The destruction of vegetation in mining areas is affected primarily by human activities, while human activities are affected primarily by changes in policy; thus, policy factors are the main factors driving changes in vegetation in mining areas, whereas natural factors have a small influence on changes in the FVC in mining areas. This study provides a theoretical basis for vegetation restoration in other mining areas and promotes sustainable development.