Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

Group on Monitoring and Assessment of the Caspian Environment • To improve ongoing regular monitoring of seawater quality, supply CaspEcoControl with modern equipment and guidelines for con- ducting hydrochemical analysis; conduct staff training and share best practices Biodiversity conservation: • Conduct a count of all fish species in the Turk- menistan sector of the Caspian Sea and study the trophic food chain • Monitor the Caspian seal population and study its food sources • Continue to monitor Mnemiopsis numbers • Continue to monitor resident and migratory birds • Protect sites used by migratory bird species (wetlands under the Ramsar Convention) Sea level fluctuations: • Design coastal structures that take account of sea level fluctuations and surges • Train designers, architects and seismologists to take account of sea level fluctuations and other hazards

minimized during the most vulnerable period of the benthic life cycle (from April to June), when communities are replenished as juveniles settle on the floor. This period is also the most sensitive for sturgeon and other fish species, which spawn at this time. The construction of an offshore pipeline system necessitates strict compliance with environmen- tal requirements. While laying the pipeline along the seabed, only processes that will ensure min- imal negative impact on the environment and quick recovery once construction has been com- pleted should be used. In waters that are important for commercial fish- ing, measures must be taken to conserve and re- store biological and fishery resources Measures proposed by Turkmenistan Environmental protection of the Caspian Sea: • Update pollutant databases based on the re- sults of the Environmental Monitoring Pro- gramme and taking into account the out- comes of the work of the regional Working

115