Nature's place in a Nuclear Space

A Critically endangered Prezrwalski Horse inside the Zone of Alienation (Photo from BBC)

The spread of humanity across the planet is relentless, and seemingly unaffected by natures barriers. But in 1986, a now infamous nuclear meltdown at the Chernobyl plant resulted in the withdrawal of man. The eternal conqueror, pushed back not by the forces of nature, but by his own malfunction. A 30km "Zone of Alienation" was put in place by the Ukrainian administration, and all 120,000 human inhabitants were evacuated. Left to its own devices, nature has reclaimed her dominion, with wolves, badgers, wild boar, deer, lynx and bears flourishing. In particular, bird species were quick to colonise the zone with white-tailed eagles and black stork using the abandoned concrete structures as nesting sites.

Realising the value of the zone as a nature reserve, the Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve launched a programme in 1998 to utilise the zone as a shelter for 31 Critically Endangered Prezrwalski's Horse. An enigmatic paradox appears, a never domesticated species of horse in an area seemingly tarred by the brush of humanity. Given that at one point the global population stood at 31 individuals, it is encouraging that this founding population at Chernobyl has almost quadrupled in number.

The enclave of course, can never be free of human influence. Underlying radioactivity has been shown to exist within sampled birds and mice but not at dangerous levels. Meanwhile, certain areas of "red" forest are still at levels too high for pine trees to recolonise. Instead, the real concern is the return of man into the zone, with poaching on the rise. A twenty year period of respite allowed populations to flourish; will a fall in radiation result in the fall of nature?