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Remnant Ecology Project

Tracing the entangled lives of nature and human-made spaces.

The Remnant Ecology Project is a citizen science initiative dedicated to documenting the archaeology of contemporary landscapes—spaces shaped by human land use, abandonment, and ecological adaptation. Acting as a synanthropic watch, this project examines the presence and absence of plants, animals, environmental conditions, and material traces in sites shaped by decline, repurposing, and neglect.


By analyzing these spaces, we generate insights not only into long-term land-use legacies but into the present environmental and social realities shaped by human activity. Understanding the material, biological, and infrastructural remnants of contemporary landscapes contributes to historical ecological research in archaeology, revealing how land use patterns shape ecosystems over decades. In the Anthropocene everything has been touched by humankind somehow, but we do not fully understand how to recognize the how it has been touched by humankind, such as which human activities produce ecological materialization. Because hindsight is everything, this initiative also acts as a living archive for assessing current environmental conditions, social policies, and their material consequences—from overgrown cemeteries and industrial ruins to sites occupied by present day socially invisible groups.
By contributing observations, mapping disturbance-driven ecological mosaics, and tracking how environments evolve in response to human activity, participants help archaeologists, historical ecologists, and environmental researchers better understand the landscapes of today and tomorrow- and we can ultimately learn from unsustainable design choices to make sustainable life-centered product design.

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Submit your observations below!

Current Location Coordinates Display

For convenience in inputting the lat/long of the site in form below. Don't forget to allow location use on your device for it to work.

Field Observation Form

for the Remnant Ecology Project


If no official name exists for it, assign one to it. In such a case, try to use existing language or terms for the area (e.g. road name, creek name, etc.) and combine it with a reference to the presumed site type.

Date of Visit
Month
Day
Year

Decimal degrees format (e.g. 28.7643). You can find your location in https://bplant.org/ecoregion_locator.php (shown above the form) or Google map in another browser tab/window and manually enter it into this form.

Decimal degree format (e.g. -102.2346)

Material Culture and Historical Observations

Type of Site

Include site type here if not provided above.

List observed materials (metal scraps, bricks, glass, textiles, signs of past industry or residence)

Clues suggesting how the space was used in particular (signage, foundations, structural remains, specialized activity associated artifacts)

Is this space currently occupied or adapted for new functions? If so describe them.

If known, otherwise say none, mention community stories, local legends, historical significance remarks, or any observed social, economic, political, or environmental policies possibly affecting the site

Does the site exist in a highly visible area, or is it hidden from public awareness? How would you assess the public's interaction, interest, or knowledge of this place?

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