Unlike land-based mines which focus on active rehabilitation of mined areas, in the case of beach and marine mining, rehabilitation / recovery is, to a large extent, a natural process within these environments. The impacts of marine mining, conducted by divers or vessels, are researched and monitored on an ongoing basis. Seabed habitats and marine life are used as indicators of the state of the environment to increase our understanding of the impacts of the mining process and the natural rehabilitation or recovery processes.