RESUMEN
The loss of ecological carbon sinks often occurs in the process of coal resource development. Under the carbon neutral strategy, it is of great significance to explore technologies and models for improving ecological carbon sinks in coal mining areas. This study firstly addressed the system construction framework of the ecological carbon sink in coal mining areas, which included two levels of management mode and technical methods; three main categories of soil carbon sink, vegetation carbon sink, and wetland carbon sink; and several technical contents such as ecological carbon sink planning, carbon sink monitoring and investigation, carbon sink function improvement, and carbon sink loss prevention. The study analyzed the main types of ecological carbon sink (mainly involving soil carbon sinks and vegetation carbon sinks, whereas wetland carbon sinks were mainly related to coal mining subsidence areas with high groundwater level) and circumstances of carbon sink losses (including coal mining activities, the process of ecological vegetation construction, and ecological stability risk under long-term conditions) and proposed methods to improve ecological carbon sinks and prevent carbon sink losses for soil carbon sinks and vegetation carbon sinks in coal mining areas. The results can provide technical reference for the scientific research and engineering construction of ecological carbon sinks in coal mining areas.