That would be the threat to return people to the area.
The PBS series Nature covered the state of wildlife in the exclusion zone in 2011. You may watch the entire episode here: Radioactive Wolves.
The film is about an hour long, and is interrupted by two commercials for a movie.
And now for the bad news: Most Chernobyl Towns Fit For Habitation. (See Excerpt below.)
Ukraine is making plans to rebuild civil society in the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident, as the man responsible for the Exclusion Zone announces most of the affected towns could be resettled.
A round of comments have come from Ukrainian leaders today ahead of tomorrow's 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident.
Speaking to parliament, prime minsiter Mykola Azarov announced extra funding for Chernobyl programs amounting to UAH3.7 billion ($460 million). The pensions of the 'liquidators' that performed emergency clean-up are to be increased and there will also be more money available for other people badly affected by the accident. Azarov said he is doing so 'despite huge payments on debts, despite the frantic overpayment for Russian gas', and because he does not want to make empty promises.
At the same time, Vladimir Kholosha, chairman of the State Agency for the Exclusion Zone (DAZV) gave a briefing at Government House. He gave the results of radiological surveys carried out last year in 2155 of the 2293 settlements in the Exclusion Zone. It revealed that 'most of these towns can function without restrictions due to radiation'.
He said this is because time, natural processes and countermeasures have significantly reduced radiation hazard compared to the time immediately after the accident some 26 years ago.
Some years back, I sort of reviewed the thoughtful book written by an first generation Ukrainian American (who went back to live in Ukraine) Mary Mycio,
Wormwood Forest:
"Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl," Some Comments.
Ms. Mycio argues the point that this issue of the exclusion zone is a national issue for Ukrainians but I respectfully disagree.
The exclusion zone, although no one would have planned for it, represents a huge international experiment on the recovery of wild areas after the removal of people, an effect that may go even beyond the issue of radioactivity.
Personally I would wish that the zone remain as it is, a so called "viridian park."
Have a nice weekend.
