Scientists studying the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in the Ukraine were surprised at what they found. Instead of the expected nuclear desert, they were looking at an area apparently in recovery. "There were some dead trees, but the grass was coming back. Within the 10 km zone there are areas that are strikingly beautiful," reports Robert Baker of the Wildlife Ecology and Toxicology Division of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Baker studied the flora and fauna of the area impacted by the "incident," looking mainly at mouse populations. He trapped mice from the areas of highest contamination to areas beyond the established "exclusion zones," areas where humans are only rarely allowed because of the radiation danger. The 10 km exclusion zone mentioned above is an area immediately surrounding the ruins of the nuclear reactor. A 30 km zone of less intense radiation surrounds that central area.
Scientists wear protective clothing while working in the exclusion zones, but they note that the plants and animals seem to be thriving. Mice that Baker tested showed some abnormalities but most mice were normal. The interesting finding was that there are significantly more mice inside the exclusion zone than outside of it. This circumstance was true for larger animals as well, from otters and rabbits, bees and hawks to moose, gray wolf, deer and wild boar, almost totally absent outside the uninhabited areas.
So what gives? Well, scientists finally managed to figure out that these intensely disturbed areas still thrived due to the absence of humans presence! Charles Leroux, reporting in the Chicago Tribune: "Spared the industrialization, overgrazing, deforestation and other byproducts of human habitation, the flora and fauna within the zones flourished. The speedy reproduction of small mammals overcame any negative effects of radiation (not an acceptable solution for exposed human populations)." Struck by their observations, Baker teamed up with Ronald Chesser, another scientist, and wrote a paper entitled, "How to Create a Wildlife Preserve: the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster."
In the paper they wrote, "The observation that normal human activity is so much more devastating to biodiversity and abundance of individuals of the local flora and fauna than is the worst nuclear power plant disaster, obviates the significance of the exponential growth of the human population."
As if to obviate the problem, Baker told Leroux, "If the authorities would allow it, I could get into hunting those boar." But he wouldn't eat them. "Just run a Geiger counter over one and you'll see why," he said.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1997
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