Belarus is famous for its natural wealth - for good reason it is affectionately called blue-eyed and absolutely without exaggeration it is called the lungs of Europe, because it is the Belarusian swamps that supply it with oxygen. On the territory of our country there is a unique reserve Belovezhskaya Pushcha, known by bison and the residence of the Belarusian Father Frost, which you can visit any time of the year. Unfortunately, the Chernobyl disaster, which occurred in 1986, left its mark on all spheres of life in Belarus, especially on nature. Therefore, the creation of the Polesie State Radiation and Ecological Reserve became necessary.

Chernobyl and Belarus: reserve in the exclusion zone

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was a black day in the modern history of Belarus. A truly vast territory was polluted, on which more than 22 thousand people lived before the explosion. The Polessky Reserve was formed on July 18, 1988 and partially occupies three districts of Belarus that have suffered the most from the consequences of the accident - Khoiniki, Bragin and Narovlya.

In numbers, PolesiaRadiation Reserve is:

• over $ 4 million in annual costs;

• more than 215 thousand hectares of territory;

• 1251 plant species (represented by more than two thirds of the total diversity that we see), with 18 species in the Red Book of Belarus;

• 54 species of mammals, 25 - fish and 280 species of birds that chose these lands as their home;

• 700 people in the staff of the Polesia Ecological Reserve;

• 96 villages, agro-towns and villages in which people can no longer live.

Functions of Polesia State Reserve:

• development of a set of preventive measures to prevent radiation contamination of neighboring territories;

• control and recording of changes in the radiation background;

• investigation of the state of the soil, air, water, animals and plants;

• compliance with the check mode, compliance with non-interference in the natural course of life.

Despite the fact that about a third of the total cesium-137 deposited in Belarus, 73% of strontium-90 and 97% of the isotopes of plutonium-238, 239, 240 are located on the territory of the PSRER, ideal conditions for animals are created here. They multiply and thrive without anthropogenic interference, there is a positive increase in the number of rare species of fauna - that is why the Polesye Radiation and Ecological Reserve attracts biologists here.

Interesting facts about Polessky Reserve:

1. Not only Belovezhskaya Pushcha can boast an impressive population of bison - there are bison among the animals of the radiological reserve. In the herd, there are 145 individuals.

2. Reserve workers engaged in breeding horses.

3. 40 of its employees have academic degrees. It conducts research in three areas: radiation-ecological monitoring, the study of the ecology of local flora and fauna, the laboratory of radiation measurements.

4. All conditions have been created here so that it is possible to study the development of wildlife in the conditions of the absolute absence of human intervention in it.

5. Successful harvesting and sale of the highest quality wood is carried out on the territory of the Polesye Radiological Reserve.

6. There is a check mode here, so a pass and an identity document is required to visit the reserve.

In the north-west of the reserve is located the National Park Pripyat - Polessky cranberry paradise. Here you can visit it for absolutely legal reasons, without fear of radiation. It remains only to book a ticket or accommodation - and forward to the adventure!