Chernobyl: A Natural History

Despite radiation, nature has recolonized Chernobyl and is even flourishing there. Within the exclusion zone that surrounds the ex-nuclear power plant, there are ten times more wild boars than there were before the explosion, and almost 3000 elks, wolves and lynxes have returned. Many species of wild birds threatened with extinction in other parts of Europe have also returned. Does this mean wildlife is outwitting radiation? The reality is more complex and calls for an investigation into the abandoned forests and villages of Chernobyl. In this unplanned self-created “nature reserve” on the ruins of human habitation destroyed by the disaster, in this strange world where radiation shifts with seasons, radioecologists and zoologists are making extraordinary discoveries. An investigation that also opens up new directions for research in the area of human radioprotection. And although the exclusion zone is still – officially – out of bounds, some people still choose to come – or come back – and live there.