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The present report has been prepared by the international legal consultant – Irina Krasnova, professor of environmental law of the Russian Academy of State Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, doctor of juridical science.

The report is prepared within the framework of the Caspian Environment Programme in accordance with the relevant UNEP/UNDP/TACIS project, the Terms of Reference for the International Consultancy of Legal National Assessments attached in Annex III to the project and the Workplan for CRTC/LREI.

The presented book represents an attempt to identify comprehensive solution to the problem of the international legal status of the Caspian Sea. The unclear legal situation of the Caspian Sea and the consequent uncertainty of the coastal states about the issue of territorial demarcation, their uncertainty about the extent of their sovereign rights to the exploitation of natural resources and the uncertainty of the neighboring states with regard to shipping in the Caspian prevent continuous economic development of the region, destabilize political situation and result in a lack of security in the Caspian region. These issues are not merely of regional, but of a global importance. This is the way the research is being continued by scientist all over the world.  

Natural seeps and easily exploited surface deposits of crude oil on land have been utilized in the Caspian Sea region earlier than 300 BC. The modern-day picture is a region with oil reserves of global importance, facing a key challenge of the transportation of crude oil to markets. There has been considerable focus on developing oil spill preparedness in the Caspian Sea region. This has involved the governments, regional bodies, the oil industry and a range of other stakeholders and international organizations (notably UNEP, IMO and OSCE). This effort is in addition to the primary focus on preventing spills.

Countries are developing and implementing National Contingency Plans in order to have effective national response systems, which also act as the basis for regional cooperation. 

This brochure has been produced on behalf of the consortium developing the hydrocarbon deposits beneath the North East Caspian defined under the North Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement of 1997.

The concession area lies in a region of rich biodiversity recognized as being of international importance for its wildlife, including several species that are classified as endangered. The widely varying conditions in the North East Caspian include extreme seasonal temperature variations, long-term sea level change, short-term sea surges and retreats, high levels of turbidity and sediment movement, ice cover in winter and scouring of the seabed by moving ice.

This dynamic environment presents challenges for those who live and work in the area. It also means that the fauna and flora on land and at sea, are adapted to a significant level of environmental stress from continually changing physical conditions. 

Presentation by Professor Ramiz M. Mammadov (Institute of Geography, NANA). 

The Institute of Geography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences have the honour to propose the development of the Atlas of the Caspian Sea (electronic and paper version), which aims to be a product of international scientific collaboration among the five Caspian states. The Atlas should serve the purpose of collecting and maintaining a comprehensive data on the state of the environment of the Caspian Sea and lay the scientific foundation for the environmental monitoring programme and implementation of other provisions of the Convention and its Protocols.