ISLANDR

Supporting the Zero Pollution objectives of the Green Deal is one of the EU's priorities. To that end, the EU-funded ISLANDR project will work towards reducing soil pollution and enhancing restoration. The project will identify the sources of soil pollution, assess environmental and health risks, implement sustainable risk management, and provide a valuation approach in financial and investment cases. ISLANDR will integrate land contamination and spatial planning decision-making processes with the Soil Strategy policy of the EU. Additionally, it will encompass the proposed soil health law and other policy areas where soil plays a crucial role. The seven test areas of ISLANDR will serve as example sites representing different types of contamination across Europe. Overall, the project is designed to benefit policymakers, regulators, and service providers.

The Information-based Strategies for LAND Remediation (ISLANDR) project is cross-disciplinary and multi-actor and aims to promote the delivery of Green Deal objectives, in particular achieving Zero Pollution by reducing soil pollution and enhancing restoration. ISLANDR will provide a series of tools and methods to support: 

(1) the delineation of soil pollution sources, (2) the assessment of risks, (3) the implementation of sustainable and risk-based land management (SRBLM), (4) the inclusion of wider valuation approach in financial and investment cases, (5) closer integration of land contamination and spatial planning decision-making and (6) key policy relevant findings related to the Soil Strategy, proposed soil health law and other areas of policy where soil is a crucial consideration. 

ISLANDR takes a carefully targeted approach in view of the large existing knowledge base, and has designed its outcomes be easily assimilated by multiple target groups (including, policy interests, planners and regulators, site managers and their service providers). Care is taken to ensure support for capacity building and also to service the needs of long term repositories (e.g EUSO). Innovations include using CBA to provide robust valuation for parallel benefits to improve business cases; a technical basis for soil functionality as a “soil health” receptor, and operating window analyses of NBS and other low input remediation. 

ISLANDR makes use of 7 test areas across Europe to provide real world research context and road-test findings, including areas impacted by green transition consequences. Roundtables in these areas provide active local stakeholder dialogue and a basis for rapid implementation and new project roll-out. A key focus of ISLANDR is to facilitate soil remediation in situations where the case is economically marginal or negative, by providing a more thorough understanding of low input approaches and a wider value proposition for investment cases and financial planning.