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Technology Lecture. Land restoration: now and in the future

Derelict and degraded land destroys amenity, causes pollution and is a waste of productive land surface. Despite the worldwide activity to restore it there is an enormous backlog, which in England has increased since 1974. In the past much of this restoration was empirically based and not always successful. But natural ecosystems develop unaided on raw starting materials by natural ecological processes. A proper understanding of these has led to more reliable and inexpensive restoration techniques. At the same time we have come to realize that, because, at the start, the slate has been wiped clean, many different end points are possible. Derelict land is a challenge and opportunity for creative manipulation of our landscape. Yet what is achieved in practice is often pedestrian, unscientific and uneconomic. Often the simple treatments that would minimize the impact of industrial activity, and would set the restoration off early and in the right direction, are not carried out. Yet there are plenty of good examples of what can be done. It appears that once more we may be victims of the British failure in technology and imagination transfer. For this the fault seems to lie broadly, not only with planners, industrialists and government, for not always making sure something is done, but also with scientists, for not applying their ecological knowledge sufficiently to problems of hard practice.