To sum up, the dereliction of industrially damaged land will be overcome by the natural processes of weathering, erosion, and leaching, moderated selectively by the influence of vegetation. Old pit-dumps in the Forest of Dean, ancient quarries as at Barnack in Lincolnshire, and the old peat diggings that now constitute the Norfolk Broads, all bear witness to the healing of man-inflicted destruction, given time. But in such a small country as Britain, with such a crowded population, we cannot leave these damaged areas for a sufficient length of time to heal naturally. Instead, we can, and we must—in the interests of health, good living, and the conservation of our assets in land—minimize the destruction which we leave behind, and ensure the conditions under which natural processes will most effectively and most speedily repair such damage as we cannot repair ourselves. So we must establish a landform appropriate to the use to which the land is to be put. We must ensure the adequacy of mineral nutrients for the soil which we wish to regenerate. And we must establish a vegetation that will contribute to those soil-forming processes whereby toxic elements are leached and nutrients retained.
