Ecoremediations – a new concept in multifunctional ecosystem technologies for environmental protection

Ecoremediation (ERM) comprises methods of protection or restoration of the environment by means of natural processes existing in ecosystems. The establishment of ERM systems provides sustainable environmental management solutions that contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and pollution reduction, increase the quality of water and soil, and can be applied in protected and sensitive areas. The functions of ERM are based on aquatic, waterside, and wetland ecosystems, and are characterized by high retention capacity, flooding prevention, and reduction of specific physical, chemical, and toxic pollution. This chapter reviews the operational performance of ERM in Slovenia, including constructed wetlands for sewage, landfill leachate, industrial wastewater, drinking water, highway runoff, ponds/wetlands, vegetated drainage ditches for agricultural runoff, landfill restoration, and river revitalization. A further aim of the ERM concept is to promote the idea of unifying different kinds of ‘‘green technologies’’ that are based on nature’s self-cleaning mechanisms, enhanced by the latest scientific developments, in the search for sustainable solutions that do not rely on the passive role of nature, but look to nature in building sustainable models through an understanding of human–environmental relations.