The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area is in the center of Russia's Far North, located on the West Siberian Plain. It has an area of more than 750 000 km2. More than 50% of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area lies north of the Arctic Circle. It has a population of about 500 000, including 32 000 native people (Nenets, Khanty, and Selkup). Owing to the severe climate, agriculture in the region is limited to reindeer herding, hunting, fishing, and fur farming; reindeer herding accounts for 92.2% of all agricultural production. These sectors are the main occupations of the local native population, who are experiencing difficulty in the transition to market relations