The ecological rehabilitation of degraded karst landscapes presents unique challenges for environmental management due to the complex interplay between soil carbon cycling and carbonate weathering processes. This study investigates the effectiveness of 2-4 year restoration efforts in three post-mining karst systems in China’s Tianfu Valley through integrated analysis of soil carbon pools and controlled dissolution experiments. Results reveal that soil inorganic carbon (SIC) consistently dominates over organic carbon (SOC) by a factor of 2.3-5.1, reflecting persistent legacy effects of carbonate-rich substrates. While vegetation succession showed limited influence on SOC distribution (depth-dependent patterns absent in 56% of profiles), a significant correlation (R 2=0.62, p<0.05) between deeper SOC stocks (30-50 cm) and subsurface weathering rates was observed. However, overall carbonate dissolution rates remained 37-62% below undisturbed karst systems, with SIC accumulation exhibiting clear suppression effects (evidenced by 41% rate reduction in specimen K1-4). These findings demonstrate that current short-term restoration approaches fail to reestablish natural carbon-weathering coupling, primarily due to geochemical buffering by SIC and microclimatic stressors. The study provides critical benchmarks for evaluating mine rehabilitation progress in carbonate terrains, emphasizing the need for extended monitoring timelines (decadal scale) and improved substrate management strategies to enhance SOC sequestration. These insights directly inform the development of more effective environmental management protocols for post-mining karst ecosystems worldwide.