Документы

Strategy for Civil Society Engagement in the Protection of the Caspian Sea Marine Environment was presented at the COP3 in Aktau, Kazakhstan, 10–12 August 2011. It contains an analysis and a number of recommendations to improve access to information and participation in decision-making and action towards the implementation of the Tehran Convention and its Protocols at the local, national and regional levels.

In accordance with Article 18 (2) of the Tehran Convention, the Parties developed the Strategic Convention Action Programme (SCAP). The SCAP is a comprehensive, long-term agenda and framework for the implementation of the Tehran Convention and its Protocols over a period of 10 years. It was adopted at COP 2 in Tehran, Iran, 10-12 November 2008.

Rules of Procedure for the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. Adopted at COP 2 in Tehran, Iran, 10-12 November 2008.

The Caspian Sea, abundant with natural living and fossil resources, its coastal areas home to more than 15 million people, faces a series of environmental challenges.

This State of the Caspian Sea Environment Report should be seen and considered as a first try out and starting point towards the creation of a shared environmental information system promoting and securing data collection, monitoring, analysis, harmonization and public communication in support of full implementation of the Tehran Convention and its protocols. We hope that it will improve the Caspian information base, enhance the quality, accessibility and relevance of data and ultimately, contribute to strengthening the regional environmental governance framework.

The Caspian Sea SoE 1 Report in higher resolution can be dowloaded here. 

Национальный доклад о состоянии окружающей среды в Республике Казахстан в 2010 году

Statistical data of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study is an attempt to develop an integrated methodology to predict the impact of the Caspian Sea on flooding using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hydrodynamic modeling. A rise in the sea level might lead to major flooding events, and have a severe impact on the spatial development of cities and regions. The feasibility of simulating a flood event along a drain channel is evaluated near residential development areas along the Chapakroud drain.

The study shows that at these elevations environmental and social problems arise with regards to the drain. The results also indicate that GIS is an effective tool for floodplain visualization and analysis. It should be noted that the mixture of salt and soft water, as a result of rising sea water level, is a problem that was not investigated in this study and should be examined in the future. 

The main focus of review: To determine the Status of invasive species with special attention to the most aggressive invader Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Caspian Sea.

Objectives:

1. To assess vectors, pathways of invasive species introduction, their composition and their role in the Caspian ecosystem.

2. To analyze seasonal and interannual dynamics of the Mnemiopsis leidyi population in the all areas of the Caspian Sea; its impacts on the Caspian ecosystem including food recourses (zooplankton) and fish stocks along with other emerging environmental threats such as increased nutrient load from the coast, structural and quantitative changes in phyto-and-zooplankton communities, the appearance of harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the Southern Caspian.

3. To prepare recommendations for follow-up actions on invasive species management: - for the protection and control of the Caspian Sea from any sources of accidental invasive species introductions - for possibility of biological control of invader Mnemiopsis leidyi.

The primary source of this Review has been national reports from every of the five Caspian littoral countries, which included results of national observations of ecosystem state and biodiversity of the Caspian Sea. But due to fragmental data of the national observations on invasive species

The Ural sturgeon yield-to-fishery relative to river discharge was the highest in the Caspian Sea till recently. The environmental conditions to secure natural reproduction are still satisfactory for successful sturgeon reproduction. However, nowadays the catch in all regional sturgeon species is negligible. The Ural sturgeon population dynamics are analyzed along with some anthropogenic and natural factors affecting them. It is argued that legal overfishing (including all legal means of fish removal), based upon (a) faulty estimations of sturgeon stock and catch limits and (b) inappropriate fishery policies are the principal reasons for the stock decline in the Ural. The maintenance of the natural reproduction in the Ural is considered to be the primary strategy for the stock replenishment. If used at all, artificial propagation should be used only as an additional secondary option exclusively at the historical sturgeon habitats upstream the Ural river and not in the river delta, where the hatcheries are located now. Transboundary cooperation of basin countries with active inter- national involvement is essential to prevent further deterioration of the situation. ***The attached copy is furnished to the author for non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the author’s institution, sharing with colleagues and providing to institution administration. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the chapter (e.g. in Word or TEX form) to their personal website or institutional repository.***

Technical Summary

Sampling was conducted from the vessel Svetlomor 2 by personnel from AmC, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR) and SOCAR. Sediment samples for physical and chemical analysis consisted of 2 replicates, while 3 replicates were taken for biological analyses. Analyses were carried out at AmC Caspian Environmental Laboratory.

In general the survey stations around the SDX-5 well site were found to have well sorted very fine silt sediments with low variation in metal and hydrocarbon concentrations.

Relationships were found to be present between metals Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn. With the exception of phenols all hydrocarbon parameters were interrelated, with the proportions of UCM and NPD indicating that all hydrocarbons present were weathered.

The macrobenthic community had a low abundance and species richness and was characteristic of the area and depth. Overall no relationship was found to exist between any of the measured variables and the community structure, with the low species richness and abundance likely being due to the depth of the survey area exceeding 500m.

Comparison to previous baseline data indicated change at one station adjacent to the well location. Samples from this station indicated the presence of WBM contaminated drill cuttings, with coarser grained sediments, very high concentrations of Ba and the absence of the metal relationships evident at all other stations.

Hydrocarbon analysis of samples from this position revealed an LAO signature indicating the presence of SBM in addition to the WBM. These samples also had a high proportion of NPD which suggests the likely presence of cuttings contaminated with LAO and also reservoir fluids.

LAO was detected in one other sample and two stations had slightly elevated concentrations of Ba.