On 15 September, 21 YGN members embarked upon a five day technical tour of Ukraine. The tour focussed on the two contrasting sides of the Ukrainian nuclear industry: the disaster of Chernobyl NPP and the success story of Zaporizhia NPP. The first day saw the group take a trip to Slavutych, a purpose-built town for the evacuees of the exclusion zone who continued to work at the Chernobyl NPP. Slavutych is home to the 'International Chornobyl Centre' [sic] where, for many years, scientists have studied the environmental impact of the accident. Here, Dr Sergey Gashchak, a biologist and Deputy Director of the International Radioecology Laboratory, presented a fascinating overview of the ecology of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. He explained how the area has transformed from a "radioactive hell" to a "wildlife paradise", in which species almost extinct from Europe and sensitive to the presence of humans are thriving; for example wild boar, brown bears, wolves and elks.
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