The Abundant Wildlife of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ)

A recent evening our family was watching the striking program Our Planet on Netflix. Specifically the episode Forests, featuring forest habitats around the world.  The final habitat presented was filmed within the forest that has grown up in and around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone over the past thirty years since people were evacuated. And will continue to grow as radiation makes it unsafe for humans for the next 20,000 years. Captured through drone photography, it is stunning to see tall trees surrounding the abandoned buildings and wildlife comfortable traversing through Paryshiv’s dilapidated high-rises and infrastructure. The number of wild animals is estimated to be similar to remote wilderness areas in Europe. And wolves, whose presence indicates thriving numbers of prey, is seven times the population of wolves outside of the exclusion zone. If you enjoy observing and thinking about how places change, recommend watching the program yourself to understand the astonishing outcome of nature reclaiming a previously urban area.

-Ellison

Photo credit, Our Planet, Forest Episode, available on Netflix