Toxic love. Curating polluted river heritage in the Netherlands

This article examines how the climate emergency makes histories of pollution central to the heritage management of the Geul valley in the Netherlands. Our investigation combined forms of walking research through the valley, historical and policy research, design workshops (river ateliers) in 2024 and 2025. At the core of this article lies a methodological interest in doing heritage research differently in the context of the climate crisis. Our examination of heritage practices took place through creative intervention and experimentation. While our approach follows from observing the caring relations underpinning the heritage management of the Geul valley in the Netherlands, the methodological implications can be extended to other landscapes and forms of landscape management affected by pollution. In this article we argue that nature conservation is a highly curatorial practice that entails forms of toxic love. Acknowledging this curatorial character, in turn, invites interventions that serve as a form of research, while also allowing for new ideas for conservation strategies for stakeholders that aim at activating creativity in the landscape.