ARAGORN

Sites contaminated by persistent chemicals (PFAS, organochlorine/bromine contaminants, petroleum-coal, and metals) have left vast areas tainted. This poses great risks to human health, nature, drinking water, food production, and landowners investments. The EU-funded ARAGORN project offers a comprehensive framework to identify options to reduce risks, and an ability to not only remediate but also restore the health of soils, ecosystems, and their resilience. Specifically, the project will build on existing experiences and introduce mapping, sampling, and monitoring tools. Moreover, it will test remediation technologies and restoration practices fit for each site and contaminants present, taking into account local financial, spatial, and cultural boundaries. Through co-creation processes, ARAGORN will provide options to private and public decision-makers on how best to deal with contaminated soils.

Soil contamination is a severe hazard to humans and the environment. We propose Achieving Remediation And GOverning Restoration of Contaminated Sils Now (ARAGORN) by developing and implementing a complete framework. The framework is grounded in scientific progress and adapted to fully support public and private land managers to effectively protect, remediate and restore the environment on Europe’s polluted soils. ARAGORN will provide better insights into contaminated sites and improve remediation and restoration decision-making by implementing robust mapping and monitoring tools that are fit for purpose and cover a wide range of contaminants. 

Fit-for-purpose monitoring and decision strategies will identify neglected hotspot-polluted sites. This will enable public and private stakeholders of contaminated sites to move from regrettable remediation to restorative remediation. ARAGORN will compile and test remediation strategies and sustainable soil decontamination solutions and will develop and put into practice nature-based solutions, improve knowledge on biodiversity and deliver a framework for step-by-step decision-making regarding the best approach for resilient restoration in various European countries. 

The complete framework will be developed with strategic engagement of land managers throughout Europe, and by rooting knowledge through co-creative processes and sustainable infrastructures. The implementation will be done through a strong team of multidisciplinary scientists and practitioners with ongoing commitments to a diverse set of stakeholders across Europe at the local, national and EU levels. We will interlink land managers and sectors across Europe to take effective action on soil health and provide longevity links and support to several EU policy and international commitments.