MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. The Norilsk Nickel Company's program to cut sulfur dioxide emissions leads to the tundra's natural restoration on the Taymyr Peninsula, State Secretary of the National Committee of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Deputy Director of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Unified Scientific Center Vadim Petrov told TASS.

"We can see today the project's growing scientifically proven effect compared to [the dynamics of] last year. Cut emissions lead to a large-scale increase in the Taymyr tundra ecosystems' natural restoration. To the cleaned areas return the vegetation cover, stable tundra flora and key lichen species. This is an example of how an industrial project becomes a factor in restoring nature in the industrial Arctic," he said.

In 2024, sulfur dioxide emissions dropped by almost 400,000 tons, he added.

"Nowadays, Norilsk is a testing ground for unique environmental and urban development projects. The city and Norilsk Nickel are implementing the Clean Norilsk program - one of the biggest environmental rehabilitation projects in the Arctic," the expert said.

The Clean Norilsk program, launched in 2021, is aimed at cleaning the territory from long-term waste, at dismantling abandoned facilities and gradual land reclamation. The program's cost is about 40 billion rubles ($506 million).