Coal mining has caused severe damage to vegetation and soil, leading to a sharp degradation or entire loss of the carbon sequestration function of the original ecosystems. Furthermore, accumulated coal-gangues are easily oxidized or combusted, which has resulted in huge emissions of CO₂. Ecological restoration in post-mining areas is of great significance to curb regional carbon emission, and to mitigate greenhouse effects. In this study, the effects of ecological restoration on changes in soil organic carbon were reviewed, including the effects of restoration type and time; restoration measures for soil organic carbon and its active fractions, and the main factors influencing carbon sequestration were also summarized. The results showed that soil organic carbon increased significantly through vegetation restoration and organic matter addition and was positively correlated with restoration time. The results suggested that degraded lands in post-mining areas have great potential for carbon sequestration by adopting suitable restoration measures. In the future, research on the mechanism of carbon sequestration in soil aggregates and the active fractions of soil carbon should be prioritized because such studies could provide references for the enhancement of carbon sequestration function in degraded areas during restoration processes.