Natural burial

A natural burial grave site. It is sometimes advocated that the landscape is modified as little as possible, and in this case, only a flat stone marker was used.

Natural burial is the interment of the body of a dead person in the soil in a manner that does not inhibit decomposition but allows the body to be naturally recycled. It is an alternative to typical contemporary Western burial methods and modern funerary customs.

The body may be prepared without chemical preservatives or disinfectants such as embalming fluid, which are designed to inhibit the microbial decomposers that break the body down. It may be buried in a biodegradable coffin, casket, or shroud. The grave does not use a burial vault or outer burial container that would prevent the body's contact with soil. The grave should be shallow enough to allow microbial activity similar to that found in composting.

Natural burial grounds have been used throughout human history and are used in many countries.[1][2]

  1. ^ Harker, A (2012). "Landscapes of the Dead: An Argument for Conservation Burial" (PDF). Berkeley Planning Journal. 25: 15–159. doi:10.5070/bp325111923.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).