article_snippet.sent: Scientists analysed 57 species in the region and found that the majority of populations had diminished as a result of the nuclear accident.
article_snippet.sent: Scientists found that one breed in particular had plummeted from several hundred before the 2011 disaster to just a few dozen today.
article_snippet.sent: The research, published in the Journal of Ornithology, was carried out by scientists at the University of South Carolina including biologist Dr Tim Mousseau.
article_snippet.sent: scientists at the University of South Carolina including biologist Dr Tim Mousseau showed that the situation has steadily worsened since the disaster on 11 March 2011.
article_snippet.sent: Many populations were found to have diminished in number as a result of the accident, with several species suffering dramatic declines.
article_snippet.sent: just a couple of years later We're only able to find a few dozen left,’ said Dr Mousseau.
article_snippet.sent: The declines have been really dramatic.
article_snippet.sent: And while background radiation has declined in the region in recent years, the negative effects of the accident on birds are actually increasing.
article_snippet.sent: So now we see this really striking drop-off in numbers of birds as well as numbers of species of birds.
article_snippet.sent: So both the biodiversity and the abundance are showing dramatic impacts in these areas with higher radiation levels, even as the levels are declining.