DOI: 10.5285/9bd7754d-ea87-4b35-bec1-f39d5cc76db6
title:  Wildlife camera trap photographs from the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine (June 2020 - November 2020) following extensive wildfires

description: The data presented here comprise a catalogue of 61736 camera trap images obtained during the period June - November 2020 (this period is described within the dataset as 'setup 1'). 

Following the explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986, a 5000 km2 exclusion zone surrounding the plant was created; people and farm animals were subsequently evacuated from the area. In April 2020 there were severe wildfires within the Ukrainian part of the exclusion zone (2600 km2) where approximately 870 km2 was burnt. The NERC-funded CHAR project conducted a study which involved placing motion activated digital camera traps at three sites (each covering an area of 80 km2) within the Ukrainian exclusion zone from June 2020 - August 2021 to assess large mammal activity following the fire. Thirteen cameras were randomly located at each site; all camera deployment locations had been used in a previous study 2014-2015 (https://tree.ceh.ac.uk/content/chernobyl-webcams).

All the images obtained during June - November 2020 are included as part of the dataset with the exception of those images containing people, vehicles or members of the CHAR research team setting up and servicing the cameras; these images have been catalogued but they are not included in the dataset to protect privacy. Information on camera deployment periods, site characteristics and descriptions of each camera location (e.g. geographic coordinates, estimates of ambient dose rate, description of animal trails or tracks and the extent of fire damage in vicinity of where the camera is mounted) have also been included as part of the dataset. Staff from the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety deployed, maintained and downloaded information from the cameras and provided field notes and observations of habitat. UKCEH staff populated the dataset using the information provided. 
description: Ltl Acorn 6210MC digital camera traps were used throughout the study. Images and image and camera metadata were downloaded from each camera memory card by the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety and supplied to UKCEH as .jpeg and MSExcel files respectively. Using these files the image catalogue was populated by one member UKCEH staff with: species identified in image, number of animals visible in image, the number of triggering events (cumulative by camera) and any relevant notes. 

Site descriptions and camera information were supplied to UKCEH by Chornobyl Center as MSExcel files; the same person from the Chornobyl Center recorded all descriptive parameters. The Information provided includes: site field notes, habitat descriptions, camera location (latitude and longitude, WGS84), estimates of ambient dose rate (µSv h-1), camera deployment periods and the number of days each camera was deployed.

For quality control purposes, another member of UKCEH staff and/or staff at the Chornobyl Centre investigated any queries and the dataset was amended where necessary. 

All data were supplied to EIDC as .csv; and .jpeg files.