International Cooperation for Conservation of the Caspian Ecosystem
November 19, 14:00–17:00
Rectorate Hall
Session
The legal basis for the development of multilateral dialogue between the five Caspian states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan) was the 2018 Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which enshrined the sovereign rights and responsibilities of the parties for its conservation and sustainable development.
Currently, there is an active process of institutionalising cooperation, including the launch of a ministerial dialogue, discussions on annual intergovernmental meetings, and, in the future, the creation of the Caspian Economic Cooperation Organisation and a Parliamentary Assembly. The participating countries have put forward a number of significant initiatives: Russia has proposed the creation of a flexible five-party forum – the Caspian Council; Kazakhstan has put forward an initiative to create a Caspian food hub; and Turkmenistan has proposed the formation of a Business Cooperation Council. Projects to create joint economic institutions are being considered. Given the wide range of cooperation, it is particularly important to coordinate efforts in the field of sustainable development in the region, including joint solutions to problems in the areas of climate change, oil spill response and the conservation of biological resources.
The purpose of the round table is to find approaches to assessing the impact of climatic and anthropogenic factors on the state and development of the Caspian ecosystems.
Facts and figures
The Caspian region comprises five countries with a population of over 270 million people – Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, four of which have relatively recent experience of development within a single state. The Caspian region accounts for 12.6% of global energy exports and 7% of total global exports, produces 7% of grain, extracts 5% of ferrous metals, has a well-developed oil and gas sector, and is seeing growth in offshore production. Estimated oil and gas reserves exceed 15 billion tonnes in oil equivalent. The five-party cooperation format developed naturally, due to the pressing need of the Caspian states to ensure joint management of the unique Caspian Sea. Today, it is one of the most dynamically developing regions in the world.
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland water body on the planet, covering an area of 370,000 km2, which is rapidly shrinking. According to a study by the University of Leeds, its level has fallen by 2.3 metres over the past 30 years. NASA satellite data for 2020-2025 shows that the Caspian Sea is shrinking at a rate of about 7 cm per year. This is 20 times faster than the rise in global sea levels. If the trend continues, by 2050 the northern part of the sea, where the depth does not exceed 5 m, may virtually disappear, and by the end of the century, in the worst-case scenario, the entire coastline may sink by 21 m.
For thousands of years, the Caspian Sea has shaped the region's climate, fed the local population and served as a vital transport hub, but climate change has caused the surface temperature of the Caspian Sea to rise by 1.5°C over the past 30 years, which is already a disaster for this closed region. According to a number of scientists, the shallowing of the Caspian Sea is not a regional problem, but a global ecological disaster. The drop in sea level will affect the climate of Central Asia, bird migration and, through the oil supply chain, the global economy. The consequences of the shallowing will affect all areas of life in the region, threatening unique ecosystems that have taken millions of years to form. There is a high probability that new hotbeds of social tension will emerge due to the reduction of resources and the growth of unemployment.
The coastal lagoons and reed beds of the Caspian Sea are wintering and resting places for more than 300 species of birds, but these ecosystems are rapidly disappearing: in the Volga delta, the area of reed beds has decreased by 40%, Komsomolskaya Bay, a key moulting site for seals, has practically dried up, and 39% of the wetlands of the north-eastern Caspian Sea have already been lost. The consequences of this process extend far beyond the region. Migratory birds that have lost their resting places may not be able to reach their nesting grounds in Siberia or Africa, which will affect ecosystems on other continents. Additional risk factors include oil pollution, with up to 120,000 tonnes of oil entering the sea each year, up to 5,000 individuals dying in fishing nets each year, and the last wild Caspian sturgeons on Earth threatened with extinction..
Discussion issues
Anthropogenic impact on the environment of the Caspian region
Finding solutions to the problem of conservation and rational use of the Caspian's biological resources
On the conservation of the Caspian coastal ecosystems
On international expertise and joint prevention of biodiversity loss and shallowing of the Caspian Sea
On international cooperation and the development of digital ecology (using the Caspian Sea as an example)
The international aspect of overcoming global problems in the Caspian Sea
Programme
Welcoming Address of the Session Moderators
Elena Savenkova (Russia)
Director, Institute of Environmental Engineering; Head of the Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification Authority, RUDN University
Asel Tasmagambetova (Kazakhstan)
founder of the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research
Sergey Krikalev (Russia)
President of the Ecological Foundation “Clean Seas”, Soviet and Russian cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Russia (under approval)
Topic of the report
On the Need for International Expertise and Joint Prevention of Biodiversity Loss and Shallowing of the Caspian Sea
Asel Tasmagambetova (Kazakhstan)
founder of the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research
Topic of the report
The Impact of Chemical Flux Transformation and Carbon Dioxide Exchange in the Volga Delta and Adjacent Caspian Sea Shelf on the Local Ecosystem
Alexander Polukhin (Russia)
Head of the Laboratory of Biogeochemistry, Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leading Researcher
Topic of the report
Features of the Environment and Biota on the Caspian Sea Shelf in Areas of Current and Future Hydrocarbon Production
Mehdi Shojaei (Iran)
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran (under approval)
Behrouz Abtahi (Iran))
Representative of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Advisor to the Iranian Embassy in Russia
Topic of the report
On Joint Scientific Research into Adaptation to Climate Change, Assessment of Projects to Halt the Shallowing of the Caspian Sea, Widespread Use of Water-Saving Technologies, and Planting of Green Spaces
Vepa Sapardurdyev (Turkmenistan)
Head of the Hydrometeorological Department of the Hydrometeorological Center of the Hydrometeorological Service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan
Topic of the report
Issues of Climate Change in the Region and Possible Solutions to the Problem of Falling Water Levels in the Caspian Sea
Yeltai Aizat (Kazakhstan)
Head of the Caspian Sea Hydrometeorological Research Department, RSE Kazhydromet
Topic of the report
Is the Caspian Sea Shrinking? Forecasts and Reality Based on the Results of Russian-Iranian Studies of the Caspian Sea
Andrey Kostianoy (Russia)
Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental Ocean Physics, Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Topic of the report
On the Problems of Fish Biological Resources in the Caspian Region
Sergey Shipulin (Russia)
Deputy Head of the Volga-Caspian Branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography
Topic of the report
On the Creation of a Biodiversity Passport for the Caspian Sea and the Introduction of the “Caspian Green Standard”
Vasily Bogoslovsky (Russia)
Сhief executive officer of the International Ecological Foundation “Clean Seas”, Honored Worker of the Sea and River Fleet, Honored Polar Explorer
Topic of the report
On the Integration of Central Asia With the South Caucasus Through the Development of Transport and Logistics Routes
Orkhan Yelchuev (Azerbaijan)
Director of the Azerbaijani Analytical Center “STEM” (online)
