ROOTS: Roots of Reclamation – a partnership for the restoration of catastrophically affected areas

The project target groups consist of organizations responsible for the remediation of contaminated sites, such as municipalities and national environmental organizations, which will be reached through the network that the partners have achieved in their enterprises, as well as through new activities such as workshops, seminars, conferences and training programs. In order to further identify the most relevant specific actors for each country, a separate analysis of each country will be carried out.

By sharing experiences and results gained in individual initiatives, ROOTS plans to create a long-term impact in the region and reach out to potential stakeholders.

Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden – applicant and project coordinator.

Linnaeus University, named after the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, is a Swedish university founded in 2010 through the merger of Växjö University and Kalmar University. It is known for its strong international reputation and research, especially in environmental science, and has two main campuses in Kalmar and Växjö.

Estonian University of Life Sciences,Tartu, Estonia.

Estonian University of Life Sciences traces its history back to the opening of the Department of Agriculture in Tartu. It became an autonomous agricultural university of Estonia in 1951. It received its current name in 2005. Currently, the university is among the world’s TOP 50 in the field of forestry and agriculture, and ranks 4th in the country in terms of the number of foreign students. The Estonian University has successfully developed waste-free technologies used in the circular economy.

Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI), Kaunas, Lithuania – a state technical research center engaged in energy-related research in the field of mathematical modelling of energy systems and networks, renewable energy, and development of energy planning methods. The institute is an internationally recognized center of excellence in science, innovation and technology in energy and related fields. LEI conducts research and develops innovative technologies in the fields of energy, environmental engineering, full-cycle phytoremediation projects, materials science and economics, and advises the government, public, private institutions and companies on issues related to the development of sustainable energy.

Gdańsk Polytechnic University, Gdańsk, Poland – one of the oldest and best state technical universities in Poland, founded in 1904. The university, in particular, the Department of Technological Engineering and Chemical Technology, has knowledge and experience in the phytoremediation of contaminated soils. This is one of the best practices that has become of great importance for land reclamation in Ukraine due to fires and air pollutants spreading in the fields after military battles. The department cooperates with experts from the University of Agriculture in Kraków (Poland), who specialize in phytoremediation of post-industrial lands, demonstrating best practices in phytoextraction of heavy metals, organic pollutants and hydrocarbons from soils.

National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU)

The ROOTS project is very much in line with NECU’s core activities. One example is the project entitled “Education for Sustainable Development: Sharing the Experience of V4 Countries for the Reconstruction of Ukraine”, supported by the Visegrad Fund, implemented in 2023. The project focuses on strengthening the role of Ukrainian universities in the development of the Carpathian region within the framework of their mission – education of local communities and professional training of students. As part of NECU’s educational activities, a depository of innovative educational materials has been created on the basis of the International Carpathian School, which unites public organisations, educational institutions, school and university youth, local communities, and small and medium-sized businesses. It is expected that the efforts of all target groups will be focused on improving the quality of the environment, taking into account the projects for the restoration of lands affected by fires in Ukraine.

A joint assessment of hazardous pollution in the Baltic region is essential for future efforts towards sustainable environmental restoration. The ROOTS partnership has enabled Ukrainian scientists to learn from their colleagues’ different areas of expertise and to complement their participation from a large geographical area represented by: Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia.

• November 2024. The participation of Ukrainian scientists in the 14th annual international scientific conference EcoTech 2024 (Jelgava, Latvia) within the framework of ROOTS provided a platform for the exchange of groundbreaking research and innovative solutions, presentations, interactive sessions and informal networking events. The organizers emphasized the integration of scientific and practical approaches in phytoremediation of contaminated areas, represented by the Ukrainian group of researchers: R. Havryliuk, V. Mykhailenko, M. Blyznyuk, V. Karamushka, S. Boychenko, M. Khoriev, O. Kozak, O. Gulyaeva, T. Kuchma, O. Nazarova. Link to LnuPlay, where you can find all recorded presentations related to the ROOT project from Linnaeus ECO-TECH 2024.
• April, 2025. Online workshop on the 16th of April 2025. The environmental assessment of post-war damage is one of the topics provided at the program, which was originated by Viktor Karamushka (NAUKMA) and his colleagues. R. Havryliuk, Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, presented “Potential Hot Spots (oil polluted areas) for Phytoremediation Application”
• June 2025 Two-day seminar at the University of Agriculture in Krakow and ROOTS study visit, organized by Professor Jacek Antoniewicz, together with Piotr Rybarczyk. The seminar was attended by Olga Nazarova, Olga Kazak, Svitlana Boychenko and Viktor Karamushka (NaUKMA) and Valeriy Mykhailenko (NECU, online).
• In July 2025, Ukrainian scientists took an active part in the creation of the electronic “Digital Methodology Portfolio for Phytoremediation Implementation for Catastrophic Areas”. The manual will contain useful practical information and facts about phytoremediation as a method of cleaning contaminated areas after environmental disasters and military operations.

Further collaboration. One of the objectives of the project is to build the ROOTS ECOTECH platform and network, which will ensure further development, transfer of project results and long-term impact of phytoremediation. The platform will also be used for further stakeholder engagement after the project is completed. The platform materials will be adapted and hosted for Ukrainian users on the online hub of the International Carpathian School. An online platform connected to the large international ECOTECH LNU network, where the results of ROOTS S are demonstrated and promoted. The platform will also become a key strategic communication channel for courses, further materials and documentation on phytoremediation.