<\/p>\n
In E. J. Swift’s novel When There Are Wolves Again, the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy are translated into a near future where natural habitats are diminished and unstable. <\/p>\n
This work of ecofiction deftly explores the question of possible paths forward for the return of animals to areas of reduced natural habitat. In the real world, a parallel version of this story unfolds as nature flourishes around a former nuclear power plant. <\/p>\n
This is especially true at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where, 40 years after the nuclear disaster, the absence of human activity has allowed wildlife to thrive despite continued radiation. <\/p>\n
Following the world’s worst civilian nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in 1986, a 2,600 square kilometer exclusion zone was established. The accident released a radioactive cloud across Europe, and approximately 115,000 people were evacuated from surrounding areas. Almost immediately, 31 factory workers and firefighters died from radiation poisoning.<\/p>\n
40 years since the Chernobyl disaster, which led to the creation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Since 1986, the site has unintentionally been transformed into a thriving wildlife sanctuary and vast rewilding \u201claboratory.\u201d A CEZ prohibits people living there, commercial activities, natural resource extraction, and public access. Today, this region is home to many large mammals.<\/p>\n
The population of wolves, foxes, lynx, elk and wild boar has increased significantly here. Meanwhile, species such as brown bears and European bison have returned. Given the inability of humans to intervene, this is rewilding in its most extreme form and has some unintended consequences for the CEZ.<\/p>\n
Research shows that hunting, agriculture, and lack of development by humans have a more positive impact on animal populations than the negative effects of radiation. <\/p>\n
The population of large mammals in the Belarusian part of this zone is equal to or even higher than the population in uncontaminated nature reserves. There is no doubt that the early radiation caused great damage to flora and fauna, especially the “Red Forest”, a 10 square kilometer area near the nuclear power plant. <\/p>\n
The area got its name from the pine trees that absorbed so much radiation that they withered and turned reddish-brown. However, long-term studies show that biodiversity increased in the absence of humans.<\/p>\n Various endangered species have returned to the exclusion zone. This includes Przewalski’s horse, which was reintroduced in 1998 as a conservation experiment. They are currently breeding and their population has increased to more than 150 individuals within certain areas of the Ukrainian region. <\/p>\n Both the Eurasian lynx and European bison, which had disappeared from the region, have returned and established populations. Several different bird species have returned, including the wood stork, black stork, and white-tailed eagle.<\/p>\n
\n Imago\/Alamy<\/span><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRevival of rare species<\/h2>\n