The region around the nickel and copper smelting plant of Severonikel on the Kola Peninsular in the Russian Arctic is one of the most polluted regions on Earth. The facility is owned by the privatized Norilsk Nickel, Russia's leading metal producer and its leading air polluter. Around 1400 square kilometres of vulnerable tundra forest adjacent to the nickel smelter appears as dead land, destroyed by sulphur dioxide and heavy metal poisoning. It is estimated that 8,100 hectares of land have been damaged beyond rehabilitation.