Olya Kaskevich is dedicated to saving Polesia , Europe’s largest wetland wilderness. She paddles along with 49 other activists through meanders of Pripyat river in their canoes to raise awareness of this gem. Seven international conservation organizations aim to protect Polesia for future generations.

Now more than ever, the delicate balance of this pristine area, named Europe's Amazon, is threatened with the plan for the construction of a canal 25 times the length of the Panama one. The so-called E40 waterway would run through the Chernobyl exclusion zone, potentially risking contaminating the water supply of millions of people and wildlife with radioactive substances. In addition, it would lead to biodiversity loss, droughts, increased flood risk and the release of annual carbon emissions equal to those from 2 million cars.

But thanks to activists like Olya, who bring the issue to the public eye, and conservationists who raise their voice about the disastrous impacts and work to educate society, there is hope in stopping this plan from going ahead.