THE PRIPYAT MARSHES OF UKRAINE
The Royal Geographical Society's 1998 Ralph Brown Expedition to
Europe's last great wetland, 27 June - 3 September 1998
Altogether more than fifty people, amateur and professional, from Britain and Ukraine participated in the Expedition. The ages ranged from fourteen to over sixty. Most were scientists, with collectively many years experience of fieldwork through expeditions in every continent, from polar regions to the equator. The fields of expertise covered by the scientists included: botany, chemistry, biology of the Chromista (a recently recognized biological kingdom), conservation, curation of scientific reference collections, ecology, entomology, ethnology, fish pathology, geobotany, hydrobiology, insect pathology, malacology, mycology, phycology, plant pathology, protozoology, radiology, toxicology and zoology (many participants have other skills including, for example, considerable experience in ornithology). In almost all cases, expertise in freshwater biology is very evident.
There were also researchers with interests in geography, sustainable tourism, computing, database design and maintenance, photography, and social and military history, and representatives from the regional office of the Ministry for Ecological Security & Nuclear Safety. A further category of participants were those who helped interpret, drove vehicles, maintained canoes, road vehicles and camps, cooked and carried out those other necessary jobs without which the Expedition could not have proceeded. Most (including the British participants) already knew each other, and some had worked together for many years (including considerable British-Ukrainian collaboration).
These scientists and researchers were accompanied by selected undergraduates from the Biological Department of the International Solomon University (Kiev), and upper secondary school students particularly from Hampton School in west London, but also from Lancashire, Kiev and Kovel'. For these young people the Expedition was a wonderful opportunity for an adventure, and to experience field work with some outstanding field biologists. But they also made significant contributions, helping with collecting, keyboarding data, taking photographs, paddling canoes, and working around the camps. Those with an interest in learning English, Ukrainian or Russian also used the Expedition as an opportunity to brush up their language skills.
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