ISLANDR runs land remediation
Europe deals with a vast number of contaminated areas which are in many cases difficult to remediate and redevelop, because the costs exceed the benefits. Especially portfolios of sites, diffuse contamination and areas impacted by the consequences of the green transition, such as former mining areas, are difficult to tackle. To support the Eu Soil Mission “A Soil deal for Europe”, ISLANDR is contributing to these challenges. For this, ISLANDR is creating a roadmap with specific building blocks that support the actors involved. ISLANDR was officially launched on the 1st of May 2023 with a foreseen project duration of 3 years. The project brings together 14 partners from 12 countries, including 10 EU Member States.
Roadmap
ISLANDR is a multidisciplinary project in which research activities are aimed at providing tools and methods to support:
- the delineation of polluted soils across Europe,
- an evidence-based assessment of the risks posed by polluted soils,
- the promotion of sustainable and risk-based land management practices,
- the inclusion of a wider valuation approach in financial and investment cases,
- a closer integration of land contamination and spatial planning decision-making,
- Lessons learnt and experience gained throughout the project duration will be used to deliver key policy-relevant findings related to the Soil Strategy, the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, and other areas of policy where soils are crucial.
The different ‘building blocks’ of ISLANDRS are found in the ISLANDR roadmap, covering different project stages and targeting different audiences.
ISLANDR Test Areas (ITAs)
To road-test the project’s findings, seven test areas across Europe have been identified. The ISLANDR Test Areas (ITAs) provide a real-world context for the planned research activities. The ITAs have been selected to cover different land use types, such as urban, peri-urban, rural, agro-forestry, mining and coastal areas. Furthermore, the ITAs are characterised by both point and diffuse sources of pollution, as well as by different soil pollution types, such as organic, inorganic, and contaminants of emerging concern.
Focus on low input remediation
ISLANDR focuses on low input remediation, to ensure that soil remediation is facilitated even when the cost of remediation is economically marginal or may even be negative. On the one hand, this necessitates a more thorough understanding of low input remediation approaches from a technological perspective, yet it also requires a wider value proposition for investment cases and financial planning.
The ITAs key actors provide feedback and offer insights as to the robustness and effectiveness of the strategies, wider valuation approaches and financing mechanisms and other building blocks in the ISLANDR roadmap to be developed over the course of the project’s lifetime. The interaction with ITAs is foreseen to bring an iterative feedback loop to the research process, with a view to ensure the wider uptake of the project’s outcomes and achievements.
