ABSTRACT

The nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima serve as poignant reminders of the impacts humans have on the environment. Following the accidents, expansive human evacuation zones were created at both sites to safeguard human health, and today these landscapes remain some of the most contaminated ecosystems globally. Despite the contamination, wildlife have been allowed to persist in these landscapes, and in some cases species have been actively introduced into the evacuation zones, which are now serving as de-facto nature preserves due to the limited human presence in these areas. As a result, the status and health of wildlife populations that now inhabit Chernobyl and Fukushima are of substantial scientific and public interest, yet remain largely unknown. Over the last several years I have been collaborating with a group of international scientists to better understand the ecology, radiation exposure, and health of wildlife inhabiting the landscapes surrounding Chernobyl and Fukushima. In this talk I will present the results of these resent studies, as well as other ongoing efforts to better understand the population dynamics and status of wildlife populations inhabiting these radioactive landscapes.

About the Speaker:

Jim Beasley is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He holds a bachelor's degree in wildlife science from SUNY-Environmental Science and Forestry and master's and doctorate degrees in wildlife ecology from Purdue University. He is currently serving as the International Atomic Energy Agency's wildlife advisor to the Fukushima Prefecture Government in Japan. Jim's research focuses on understanding the effects of human activities on wildlife, particularly as it relates to the conservation and management of mammals. He is currently collaborating with an international group of scientists to study the ecology, population dynamics, and health of wildlife living within the Chernobyl and Fukushima exclusion zones. The research has led to the discovery of abundant wildlife at Chernobyl and the development of a new GPS tool that monitors radiation exposures experienced by wildlife. Beasley's research has been featured in dozens of media outlets including the New York Times, Animal Planet, NPR, CNN, BBC, National Geographic, and Nature.