Taymyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug

	Physical geography and climate
	Population, economic development and infrastructure
	Indigenous land use and dependence on the environment
	Environmental threats
	Map (1997)
	Article collection

Environmental threats

Wild reindeer hunting is the most important subsistence for many indigenous peoples of Taymyr. The wild reindeer population has been increasing in recent decades, but is vulnerable for all sorts of environmental disturbance. Shifting migration routes, largely due to winter shipping on rivers, industry development and large-scale hunting with mashine guns along the Kheta River , constitute a threat towards the hunting trade, especially in combination with the present shortage of transportation facilities. Migration routes are difficult to anticipate, which causes severe loss of proceeds. Winter shipping on the Yenisey river has cut the Nenets and Enets living west of it from this food source.

The condition and availability of reindeer pasture lands as well as a sufficient number of domestic animals is of critical importance for the Nenets, Enets, Dolgan and Evenk reindeer breeders in the okrug. Several local and regional threats occur.

Pollution of reindeer pastures from the Norilsk industrial area is a severe problem. Along the Yenisey river, the right-bank pastures formerly used by the Enets population of Potapovo have been abandoned due to heavy metal and SO₂ pollution, and left-bank pastures are used instead (1996).

The increasing wild reindeer population competes with domestic reindeers on the feeding grounds which leads to a reduction of domestic reindeer herds.

The condition of productive rivers is critical for the local fish processing and for subsidiary subsistence. Pollution from the Norilsk industrial area and from extensive shipping is a hazardous impact.