Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

The annual Caspian Sea Day, which marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the Teh- ran Convention, is an important form of Tehran Convention activity in the Russian Federation and the main event for implementing the con- vention’s public participation strategy to engage public stakeholders in implementing the provi- sions of the convention. The Caspian Sea Day activities dedicated to safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystems in the context of oil and gas development in the Northern Caspian, taking account of the Tehran Convention (2014), and an event entitled “The Tehran Convention and Stakeholder Interaction in Addressing the Environmental Problems of the Caspian” (2015) were the marine and coast- al environment protection events which had the most impact. The Mejlis of Turkmenistan ratified the Aarhus Convention on 30 April 1999, following which the convention’s provisions began to be imple- mented. The main provisions are already reflect- ed in legislation, and this is making a noticeable and positive contribution to accelerating imple- mentation of the convention in Turkmenistan. The National Centre of Trade Unions, the Wom- en’s Union, the Makhtumkuli Youth Organi- zation, the Peace Fund of Turkmenistan and a number of other public organizations, including environmental organizations, operate in Turk- menistan. The largest of these is the Nature Con- servation Society of Turkmenistan, a member of the IUCN. The society’s Balkan branch actively participates in the annual Caspian Day event. To effectively disseminate relevant local and in- ternational information on planned and ongoing activities and environmental emergencies and engage with the public, the Department for the Coordination of International Environmental Cooperation and Projects has been established within the Ministry of Agriculture and Envi- ronmental Protection. The department’s role in- cludes assisting with the dissemination of infor- mation via television and radio and publishing articles on environmental topics. Since 2013, the country has published a quarterly magazine, Eco- logical Culture and Environmental Protection, in

• Center for Environmental Policy and Culture • Astrakhan regional branch of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation • Astrakhan regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society The following public organizations are work- ing to protect the Caspian Sea in the Republic of Dagestan: the Republic of Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the Berkut Scientific and Ornithological Student Associ- ation, the regional branch of the Green Planet movement and the Center for Environmental Policy and Culture. Active organizations in the Republic of Kalmykia include the regional branch of the national Cen- ter for Environmental Policy and Culture, the Normativ Scientific and Analytical Centre and the Republic of Kalmykia regional office of the Russian Bird Conservation Union. The activities of public organizations operating in the Caspian region of the Russian Federa- tion are closely linked to the main activities of state universities and state nature reserves in the region. Most state structures are established with the as- sistance of the universities and nature reserves, and focus primarily on education, research and awareness. Environmental education is one of the most im- portant areas of work carried out by nature re- serves such as the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve, the Dagestan Nature Reserve and the Chornye Zemli (Black Lands) Nature Reserve. In 2015, staff at the Astrakhan Biosphere Re- serve hosted 75 environmental education events, which were attended by a total of around 18.000 people. The Chornye Zemli (Black Lands) Nature Re- serve organizes educational activities in such key areas as the state of landscapes in the Re- public of Kalmykia, conservation of the saiga antelope population and habitat and protection and research efforts in the continental wetland (Manych-Gudilo).

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