Desolation full of life – the nature of places disturbed by man

Places influenced by industrial activities in which soil or mineral materials are excavated, moved or deposited are perceived rather negatively. This exhibition aims to present landscape features such as rock quarries, sand quarries, spoil tips or ash ponds, not as "scars" in the landscape that need to be covered with soil, reforested or flooded with water as quickly as possible, but as remarkable places where rare organisms can live.

Indeed, disturbance of the land surface can, in some circumstances, increase the diversity of habitats in the landscape – especially in landscapes that are too 'neat', overgrown with tall vegetation or over-nutriented. This opens up habitat for species with low competitive ability, such as plants, which are unable to start growing in denser vegetation, and hence for species of animals that are associated with them. It also provides habitat for organisms that are not comfortable with high nutrient levels in the soil or water.

We also want to show the diversity of these areas, their recovery and their different fates through the following 15 examples of specific rock quarries, sand quarries, loam quarries, disturbed areas under power lines and transport structures.