The green barrier between Dakar and Saint-Louis, Senegal, 1996. © IRD/M. Dukhan
Plant that can absorb contaminants from the soil.
Berkheya coddii, Afrique du Sud. © Christophe Schwartz/laboratoire Sols et Environnement INPL, ENSAIA-INRA |
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These are the thumbnails and texts for this alcove. They can be printed.
We think that cultivated nature is the opposite of presumably pure, virgin expanses. Our relationship with the earth is sentimental, economic, possessive, and impassioned. We are becoming more aware of the injury to nature that human activity has caused. The problem is both complex and pressing, as urbanization is on the rise and the population of the planet is increasing.
How do we repair the damage? How do we prevent it in the future?
There are many approaches to treating polluted soils, using botanical, microbiological, chemical or electrochemical resources. One technique is known as "phytoremediation". To remove excess metal from the soil, it is possible to introduce plants that absorb metals and allow them to be recycled. "Plant reparation" has other applications, for example, controlling the advance of the desert. These methods are subject to the slow rhythms of vegetation, and so they require patience and follow-up.
They demand a long-term investment of civic action in the interest of the future inhabitants of the planet. Repairing and managing the earth have become obligations: given our knowledge of how and why the land has become polluted, it is up to us to provide a legacy of clean soil. |
