Should we have cemeteries?

I address this particularly to those of you who are religious non-believers. Is there a justification for all the real estate taken up by cemeteries? Couldn’t there be a less land intensive way of honoring a person’s memory? Maybe a memorial Web site could be set up.

The one nice thing about cemeteries is what they are not. They are not housing developments or shopping malls. I was thinking that they could be converted into nature sanctuaries.

I wonder to what extent the existence of cemeteries is driven by market forces. Are cemeteries the most cost effective use of the land they occupy? If not, then are they protected by government regulations?