Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

First page Previous page 60 Next page Last page

Environment and Security

Fishery in the lower reaches of the Atrek river, Turkmenistan

The basin of the Atrek river 64 , with a total area of 27 000 sq km, is shared by Iran and Turk- menistan. The river, which is 530 km long, rises in Iran, flows for some 150 km along the border between Iran and Turkmenistan, and ends in the Caspian Sea. Historically the southern part of the Turkmen coast was the Caspian’s second fishery site by value and productivity. In the Esenguly district of Balkan province, the fish catch amounted to more than 10 000 tonnes a year in the 1930s. In the 1980s and 1990s com- mercial fishing gradually declined to almost nothing. Local people link it to excessive di- version of water for irrigation in Iran, affecting theflowof theAtrek river, an important spawn- ing ground for roach ( Rutilus rutilus caspicus ) and carp ( Cyprinus carpio ). Reportedly with the development of irrigation in the Iranian section of this transboundary river, the flow

dropped substantially. Furthermore Turkmen experts estimate that climatic changes could further reduce river flow by 50% in the long term (Atamuradova, 2007). In the 1960–70s the river was dry for five to seven months. Since the 1990s (in 1990, 1995–97, 1999– 2000) the river has not reached the sea, vir- tually putting an end to fishing in the delta and coastal zone (Berkeliev 2006). In this respect local experts consider the Atrek river delta a regional environmental “hot spot” be- cause of its essential role in the supply of fish and work for local people, coupled with the transboundary causes of degradation to the river delta. Among noteworthy positive de- velopments, Turkmen and Iranian authorities are currently discussing new cooperation ar- rangements on the Atrek river. Furthermore, there are plans to establish a national park along the upper reaches of the Atrek river in Turkmenistan.

��

�

��

Made with FlippingBook