In the Russian Federation, as in other resource-rich countries, the economy’s foundation is its mineral resource base. In most cases, mining complexes (mining and processing plants) are city-forming (Nizhny Tagil, Kachkanar, Krasnouralsk, Berezovsky, etc.). The harmful impact of mining and processing activity on land conditions occurs both during the development of deposits and processing of mineral resources and after the deposit has been mined out. After the exploitation of mineral deposits (hereinafter—MD) in populated areas, a nature-manmade complex—a mining landscape is formed. The accumulated and ongoing environmental damage may affect the environment and the health of the population living in this area for many years and even decades. The main long-term burden of harmful impacts of mining falls on the land (soil continuum, soils), natural waters, biota, and other mining area components, as well as the population living there. There are more than 30 large and medium-sized settlements with only developing and mined-out iron ore and polymetallic deposits in four RF subjects in the Ural mining region. The total area of the Ural mining region settlements associated with such mineral deposits within their boundaries is about 1,350 sq. km. About 20% of this area is mining areas, i.e., a total of about 210 sq. km of disturbed, degraded, and polluted lands. The total population living in such settlements is about 2.3 million. The harmful impact of mining on the environment eventually causes reversible and irreversible changes in the state of the population living in mining areas and the environment. Under these conditions, a new system of views on the rehabilitation of the mined-out areas of mineral deposits should be formed, the main idea of which will be a different understanding of the effective use of the depleted areas in the national economy or human life.