Yet, despite this gloomy picture, Central Asia still has large tracts of unspoilt land, particularly in the mountainous areas of the south east. The Arctic nuclear dump Long periods without light, extreme temperatures and exceptionally slow natural growth mechanisms all help to make the Arctic particularly receptive to pollution. Military and industrial activities have put severe strain on the region's particularly vulnerable ecosystems, leading in some areas to the virtual total destruction of the environment. In the western part of the Kola Peninsula, Novaya Zemlya, and the regions of Arkhangelsk and Norilsk, the situation is nothing short of catastrophic. The main sources of air pollution are the pulp factories and the huge metallurgy combines exploiting the region's nickel, copper and phosphorus deposits.
Sulphur dioxide emissions are a serious health hazard and are increasing all the time.
In the late 1980s the Kola Peninsula was receiving around 600,000 tonnes a year and the Norilsk region as much as 2 million tonnes. Vegetation has deteriorated throughout the region and has been totally destroyed in a wide area covering tens of thousands of hectares around the industrial centres. The region also receives airborne pollution from western Europe, which it retains and embeds in the environment. The huge coniferous forest, already affected by acid rain, is under threat from over-exploitation by the timber industries. The soil has been polluted by contaminated snow over large areas and contains high concentrations of heavy metals such as copper, nickel and zinc.