Rooted Regenerative Soil Remediation: Biomimicry and Navigating Human-Non-Human Relationships in Contaminated Soil

Abstract

As is illustrated by the continued transgressions of the planetary boundaries, global ecosystems face increasingly severe and frequent disruptions resulting from anthropogenic impacts. As such, a shift in human environmental behavior is becoming steadily more important. However, existing system structures seem to reflect deeply ingrained anthropocentric values, reinforcing a separation between human and non-human systems. This thesis examines whether biomimicry, a design approach inspired by and imitating the non-human, which aims to further re-integrate humans into ecological systems again, can contribute to bridging this divide in the context of contaminated land remediation.

To explore this question, 14 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with soil remediation academics and practitioners, as well as biomimicry theorists and practitioners based in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. For their analysis, an inductive approach was employed to identify how current remediation strategies conceptualize human-non-human relationships. Further, the analysis identifies regulatory and value-based barriers to biomimetic approaches and assesses the feasibility of integrating biomimicry into remediation projects. The insights from political ecology with empirical data on soil remediation efforts are combined to critically assess the potential of biomimicry to enable behavioral and value shifts towards re-centering the non-human in societies through more regenerative and inclusive remediation practices.

The research leads to a more in-depth understanding of current biomimetic soil remediation implementations and identifies various tensions that biomimicry could help bridge. It also detected that institutional rigidity and risk-averse systems can prevent the further development and integration of biomimicry. This rigidity is then conceptualized as institutional time, which refers to the tendency of institutions to favor established practices oriented toward efficiency and effectiveness, which can constrain the uptake of alternative approaches. Finally, the analysis reveals a tension between competitive logics and the intentionality, collaboration, and care emphasized by biomimicry, illustrating its transformative potential for reimagining remediation practices in this region.