Network fieldtrips to Chernobyl and the Urals

Today, ten network members from the UK and USA will meet in Kyiv to start a field trip looking at the history of the Chernobyl reactor accident and the consequences for both people and wildlife.

Tomorrow they will hear from local experts and share their knowledge at a workshop in Kyiv. On Thursday to Friday they will travel to the Exclusion Zone to see the place for themselves and meet with some of those who were evacuated after the accident but have since returned.

Then, on 11 July, another group of network members will gather in the city of Perm on the banks of the Kama River near the Ural Mountains. They will visit the cities of Perm and Ekaterinburg and surrounding areas, looking particularly at how a history of mining activities has shaped this region.

More information, including itineraries, participant lists, workshop programmes etc can be found on the Events page of the Network website. 

2016 Chernobyl Trip

The Leverhulme Network 

Exploring Russia's Environmental History and Natural Resources 

will be visiting Kiev and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on 

28 June - 2 July 2016 

More details

Essays and photos from Lake Baikal

The Network fieldtrip to Lake Baikal took place on 25 July – 4 August 2015. The group met in Ulan-Ude and visited various places on and around the lake including the Barguzin Nature Reserve (Russia’s first Zapovednik), the Ushkanyi Islands (home to the nerpa – the endemic  Baikal ringed seals Pusa sibirica), Olkhon island (with its important Buriat sites), finishing up in Irkutsk. Several workshops were held and local experts were involved.

Visit the Baikal page of our website for a full itinerary, reflective essays from participants, photos and more.

Lake Baikal field trip summer 2015

The Leverhulme international network "Exploring Russia's Environmental History and Natural Resources" will be conducting a field trip to Lake Baikal, Siberia, from 25 July – 4 August 2015.

The group will meet in Ulan-Ude and visit various places on and around the lake including the Barguzin Nature Reserve (Russia’s first Zapovednik), the Ushkanyi Islands (home to the nerpa – the endemic Baikal ringed seals Pusa sibirica), Olkhon island (with its important Buriat sites) and finishing up in Irkutsk. Workshops will be held in the Barguzin Nature Reserve and Irkutsk and local experts will be involved throughout. 

An outline itinerary and a brief bibliography of the environmental history of the area are both available on our website.

Olchon Shaman Rock, Lake Baikal. Photo courtesy of Kirsten Buerger via Wikimedia Commons