Photo: facebook.com/valery.dombrovski
Greater Spotted Eagle
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Long-term observations have shown that the exclusion zone in Belarus has become a refuge for endangered spotted eagles.
The Chernobyl exclusion zone turned out to be an ideal “refuge” for the endangered species of birds of the hawk family – spotted eagles. This is stated in a study by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the British Trust for Ornithology, published in the journal Restoration Ecology, reports Newsweek.-
It is noted that after the man-made accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, the greater spotted eagles settled in the exclusion zone that was empty due to radiation. The absence of people has had a positive impact on the life of the ecosystem and the number of birds has increased.
Data over the past 22 years has shown that high humidity habitats favored by birds of prey have emerged in the exclusion zone in Belarus.
From 1999 to 2017, the area of wetlands in the Chernobyl zone increased by 680%, and the area of forests by 14%.
In 2019, 13 breeding pairs of Greater Spotted Eagles were found in the study areas. It is emphasized that in Europe these birds are under the threat of extinction and only 4,500 breeding pairs remain on the continent.
“The relocation of Greater Spotted Eagles and the subsequent recovery of the population is one of our most interesting discoveries. This situation demonstrates the natural recovery of the ecosystem after intensive human exploitation. Changes in the environment and bird life occurred without the help of people and proved that nature can recover on its own”, – said one of the authors of the study, Adham Ashton-Butt from the British Foundation for Ornithology.
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