Background The implementation of mine ecological restoration project such as the Tongluo mountain has an important and positive effect on vegetation restoration and improvement of water and soil loss. It is of great significance to study the vegetation restoration dynamic change on the mine after restoring for the evaluation of mine ecological restoration benefits. It can objectively reflect the current situation of the mine ecological environment, explore the impact of the ecological restoration project on the vegetation restoration in different regions, and guide the next step of the ecological restoration project.

Methods GF-2 remote sensing images and ecological restoration data were captured in Tongluo mountain mine park in 2010—2020, the image binary model was used to extract vegetation coverage data of Tongluo mountain mine park.To analyze vegetation coverage recovery trend and spatial distribution characteristics, these data were processed by unitary linearly regression analysis. The land transfer matrix was used to land cover transfer analysis, the relationship between vegetation coverage and space distribution characteristics and its influence of mine ecological restoration were studied.

Results 1) From 2016 to 2020, the annual average vegetation coverage in the study area ranged from 62% to 71%, and the annual average vegetation coverage of the mining area ranged from 39% to 48%. 2) In 2016, the vegetation coverage in the mine restoration area was dominated by ultra-low and low vegetation coverage, which accounted for 82.65% of the area. The vegetation coverage in 2020 was dominated by medium and high vegetation coverage, with high vegetation coverage accounting for 65.21% of the regional area, and moderate and high vegetation coverage accounting for 85.36% of the regional area. 3) The area of vegetation improvement area in the study area was 78.78% of the total area, and the area of degraded area accounted for 12.18% of the total area. There was an obvious improvement trend, and the ecological situation was well restored. 4) In the five years, the bare land area changed the most with a decrease of 0.424 km², followed by the forest land area with an increase of 0.321 km², then residential land area with an increase of 0.102 km². 5) The proportion of high vegetation coverage area increased from 7.14% in 2016 to 26.78% in 2020 in the mine restoration area, the growth rate of vegetation coverage was 0.025.

Conclusions In the context of mine ecological restoration project, Tongluo mountain mine park has experienced significant vegetation recovery in the past years.From 2016 to 2020, the vegetation coverage of Tongluo mountain mine park was generally on the rise, and the vegetation coverage from both sides to the middle gradually decreased.Vegetation restoration project have both constructive and destructive effects on vegetation cover change in the Tongluo mountain mine park, but the positive effect is greater than the negative one.