Background Use of fossil fuels releases compounds into the environment, including numerous organic contaminants, which are now present in soils and water. Soil pollution has been increased by industrial pollution, mining and the over-application of fertilisers, which have added “potentially toxic elements” (PTEs) to the soil, which represent a risk because of the possibility of their accumulation in the food chain. In Campania, southern Italy, four National Interest Priority Sites (NIPS) have been identified, covering some 200 000 ha, with different levels and sources of pollution. In two of the NIPS, the urban areas of “Napoli Orientale” and “Bagnoli-Coroglio”, the storage of petroleum-derived compounds, the steel industry and asbestos cement production are the main sources of pollution. In the “Litorale Vesuviano” site, the main source is inadequate management of municipal waste. Finally, the “Litorale Domitio-Agro Aversano” National Interest Priority Site is mainly polluted agricultural land, where there is a high level of soil contamination as a result of the illegal dumping of industrial and municipal waste, which has also had consequences for the quality of the water system. Objectives The aims of the 'ECOREMED' project are as follows: To define an operative protocol for agriculture-based bioremediation of contaminated agricultural soils in the “Litorale Domitio-Agro Aversano” NIPS; To demonstrate the effects of this protocol in specific polluted areas in three municipalities; To support farmers with regulatory and financial tools aimed at improving the reclamation of degraded agricultural soils, thus restoring agronomic fertility and improving the landscape; To create an operative link between the technical-scientific protocols produced by 'ECOREMED' and local and regional administration; To define environmental quality indicators that could be used in the environmental regulatory framework; and To raise awareness of the importance of addressing soil pollution, and of the potential of bioremediation. Expected results The project will: Secure an improvement of the environmental quality in the NIPS; Identify the priority area of the NIPS that should be included in the soil remediation programmes; Define an operative protocol for agriculture-based bio-remediation of polluted croplands; Identify geochemical indicators and eco-toxicological biomarkers for monitoring environmental quality; Analyse the environmental, social and economical impact of soil remediation programmes in the NIPS; Set out accompanying measures for farmers who want to develop bio-remediation protocols for their polluted soils; and Define an operative protocol for soil bio-remediation related to the regional regulatory framework.