<![CDATA[Gold mining persistently degrades tropical landscapes by removing vegetation and topsoil, destabilizing landforms, altering hydrological processes, and mobilizing contaminants. This critical review assesses how ecological disturbance, soil-function decline, contaminant risk, revegetation outcomes, monitoring indicators, and governance constraints determine restoration readiness in tropical gold-mined landscapes. Across the reviewed studies, restoration outcomes are shaped by interacting constraints rather than by revegetation alone. Sandy tailings, low organic matter, reduced cation exchange capacity, coarse-fragment accumulation, compaction, and limited water availability can restrict both early plant establishment and longer-term soil recovery. Organic amendments and hydrogel may improve early survival and growth of selected species; however, these short-term responses do not necessarily demonstrate sustained soil formation, microbial recovery, aggregate stability, or successional convergence. Risk assessment also needs to move beyond total contaminant concentrations by incorporating bioavailability, pH, organic matter, plant tissue data, phytotoxicity biomarkers, and exposure pathways. Mercury accumulation in nearby forest compartments further complicates the selection of uncontaminated reference sites. Based on these findings, the review proposes a restoration-readiness framework structured around contaminant risk, geomorphic stability, substrate function, hydrological suitability, biological recovery potential, and governance capacity. The framework emphasizes diagnostic sequencing before large-scale planting or post-mining land-use allocation. Long-term field trials are needed to integrate soil biological recovery, aggregate development, contaminant bioavailability, hydrological design, field-scale phytoremediation, and post-closure governance.]]>
