Welcome back to ARAGORN Newsletter!
We are excited to bring you the latest updates from ARAGORN as we continue our mission to support land managers in reclaiming and restoring polluted soils across Europe. The momentum for securing healthy soils and biodiversity remains strong, but so do the challenges posed by persistent pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, and economic constraints.
In this issue, we explore the growing urgency of tackling PFAS pollution, a challenge that extends across Europe with significant environmental and economic costs. Our latest findings shed light on how PFAS contamination is being tracked and what it means for land restoration efforts. In parallel, ARAGORN continues to contribute to policy discussions shaping Europe’s Soil Resilience Law, an essential framework for sustainable land management.
As the ARAGORN project continues to make strides in advancing environmental research and policy, our partners in Fast Policy Response Action have been actively contributing to the European Commission’s work on the SMRD trilogue process. Our focus has been on identifying which substances should be monitored, determining the appropriate methods, matrices, and associated costs. A collaborative group formed by many parrners and ZeroPM project have provided valuable input on PFAS and are currently turning our attention to pesticides and metabolites.
In addition to our policy engagement, ARAGORN was featured in multiple conferences where partners presented notable insights related to scientific advancements in soil contamination.
-Danish ATV Foundation : a presentation given by ARAGORN’s partners was focused on eDNA analysis to detect the improved soil health of remediated soils;
–Norwegian Environmental Chemistry Symposium/NECS: ARGAORN’s partners showcased inputs related to soil remediation and the destruction of persistent contaminants, the use of biochar/pyrolysis and the risk governance of chemicals.
–UBA PFAS in soil conference in Berlin: saw the participation of many ARAGORN partners.
As always, ARAGORN remains committed to working closely with communities, policymakers, and land managers to develop tools and strategies that support long-term, science-based decision-making.
Stay tuned for more updates as ARAGORN continues to make significant contributions to environmental policy and research, and thank you for joining us on this journey!
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Featured image by Evie S-Unsplash
