Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

and support organizations involved in pro- tecting plant life as part of efforts to promote public health • Introduce a ban on the release, production, import and consumption of genetically mod- ified crops under the Law on the Biological Safety of the Islamic Republic of Iran Measures proposed by Kazakhstan Measures proposed by Kazakhstan include ef- forts to: • Establish a state research institute on Caspian Sea issues • Create specially protected areas on the Tyu- leniy Archipelago and the Durnev Islands in the Komsomolsky Gulf • Introduce environmental zoning, identifying environmental capacity, i.e. the permissible level of human pressure for each ecological zone within the northern and north-eastern parts of the Caspian Sea shelf Measures proposed by the Russian Federation The measures proposed by the Russian Federa- tion aim to: Increase the efficiency of aquatic bioresource use Management of aquatic bioresources should take into account the ecological and geographical in- tegrity of the Caspian Sea and build on modern ecological principles, including the need to pre- serve the main habitats of fishery resources and the normal functioning of the Caspian’s aquatic and coastal ecosystems. The Tehran Convention includes biodiversity conservation under the sustainable management of bioresources in the Caspian Sea as the “nat- ural” foundation of this economically important activity, which directly affects the interests of people living in coastal areas. It is therefore nec- essary to promote the interdependence of envi- ronmental and fishery issues in the Caspian Sea. There is a need to develop research and develop- ment, including innovations, to ensure the rapid introduction of modern technologies that enable:

• modernization of fishing methods and tech- niques • zero waste use of catches • development of progressive fishery (aquacul- ture) technologies Preserve the habitat of rare and endangered spe- cies in the Caspian Sea in accordance with the Tehran Convention and the Ashgabat Protocol It is important to understand that creating a common Caspian system of specially protected natural sites as the basis for safeguarding biodi- versity and the bioresource value of the Caspian Sea is a priority. It is vital to expand specially protected areas as a proportion of the total area of the territory, improve the efficiency of public management and operation of specially protected areas and improve the regulatory framework for specially protected areas. In existing specially protected areas, there is a need to strengthen the effectiveness of research, environmental monitoring and efforts to restore natural landscapes and prevent human activities from changing them. To minimize the adverse impact associated with invasive species, which are one of the threats to marine biodiversity, early detection and rapid re- sponse and risk analysis techniques need to be strengthened at an early stage of the invasion, when the population is still small. Minimize oil pollution associated with hydro- carbon development Given the ecological vulnerability of the Caspi- an, additional measures to preserve the marine environment should be taken before embark- ing on planned economic activity in the sea. A technological chain of production applying the “zero-discharge” principle should be introduced everywhere. To avoid negative impact on the benthic environ- ment during the operation of oil reservoirs and once operations are complete, construction and other work that disrupts the seabed should be

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