A united front to study radioecology
Many of the world's leading radioecology experts are nearing retirement, and funding for education and research in the field is inadequate in most European countries. Understanding how radioactive substances interact with nature will be a pillar of the world's nuclear energy agenda and of paramount importance to stakeholders. With EU funding of the project 'Strategy for Allied Radioecology' (STAR), nine leading organisations from eight European countries have formed the STAR Network of Excellence. STAR will efficiently integrate personnel and infrastructures, and thus form a united front for an effective European Research Area (ERA). The level of expertise represented by STAR partners is impressive. More than 170 scientists are authorities in a wide range of expertise and in the use of at least 40 different models that predict the environmental movement of radioactive releases and their potential risks to humans and the environment. In addition to the catalogue of available expertise and instrumentation, STAR has developed the first web portal for the exchange of information and data related to radioecology. It will foster easy, public access to data from European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) projects and showcase publications and training materials. STAR is also researching the effects of multiple contaminants on wildlife, and enhancing predictive models to potentially improve the efficiency of environmental protection programmes. Contaminated field sites are being selected as observatories to test hypotheses and to better understand the movement of radionuclides within environments, as well as the effects from chronic exposure to radiation. Research agendas have been set and efforts are bearing fruit, with five manuscripts already published in peer-reviewed journals. STAR published the first Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) in radioecology, and thus ensured that the EU has a long-term vision to efficiently advance the understanding of radioactivity's interactions with humans and the environment. STAR’s accomplishments are providing the vital integration currently lacking in the radioecology arena. STAR will ensure that the competences required to assess the impact of radioactivity on humans and the environment remain viable.
