Vital Caspian Graphics - Challenges Beyond Caviar

Figure (left) : Composition of Human Development In- dex. The characteristic fea- ture in all four post-Soviet countries is a relatively high level of education in relation to national income and rather low life expect- ancy, indicating high levels of poverty and deficient healthcare. In contrast the level for all three indicators in Iran is fairly balanced.

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Figure (right) : Purchasing power parity (PPP) meas- ures how much a currency can buy in terms of an international benchmark (usually dollars), since the cost of goods and services differs between coun- tries. PPP is below the value of a US dollar in coun- tries where the general price index is lower than in the US (as is the case for all five Caspian states, to varying extents), and above it where the prices are higher. One dollar thus buys much more in the Cas- pian countries than in the US, which only margin- ally compensates for the much lower income per person. These curves do not allow any conclusions on the wealth of individuals or income distribution among the population. Note the similar pattern in the post-Soviet coun- tries, where the effects of the collapse of the Soviet system are reflected in a steep decline in economic activity in the early 1990s. The economy finally bot- tomed out and started rising steadily at the beginning of the 21st century. This contrasts with development in Iran, which is characterised by a constant rise.

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due to environmental deg- radation and changes in the ecosystem, the sector is los- ing its importance, depriv- ing many who depended on it of a job. Tourism plays a major role on the Iranian coast, where a pleasant subtropical climate attracts a large number of Iranian vacationers during the hot summer months.

As a result of the arid and semi-arid continental cli- matic conditions many of the coastal areas have spe- cialised in extensive stock raising, essentially sheep and camels. Only in a few foothills with higher rain- fall in the Eastern Caucasus and the Iranian provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Gulistan has prosperous

mixed farming developed, with or- chards and market gardens.

Fishing is important for all the coastal countries. In Russia the catch of fish from the Caspian contributes a sig- nificant share of the regional economy, with Russia taking half of the total catch from the Caspian. Fisheries provide more than 7,000 jobs in Iran and per- haps an equal number in related activi- ties. However with fisheries declining