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Eastern Caspian

43

Environment and Security

and the high expectations placed on rev-

enue from hydrocarbon extraction have

prompted renewed environmental concern.

Annually thousands of tonnes of petroleum

hydrocarbons are discharged into the Cas-

pian Sea by the Volga river alone from land-

based sources (CEP 2007). Overall, rivers

draining into the Caspian Sea carry more

than 50% of total oil pollution. Further ex-

ploration of coastal and offshore fields may

increase pollution. High concentrations of

phenols and oil by-products, which may

damage biodiversity, are already being ob-

served in the northern part of the Caspian,

mainly at the mouth of the Volga. The fall in

fish stocks and the decline in the region’s

aesthetic appeal and water quality, along

with other negative factors, may wreck its

prospects for further development, espe-

cially in fishery and tourism.

The northern Caspian Sea, which is the main

habitat for sturgeon, seal and waterfowl,

once enjoyed the status of a protected area.

However the situation changed in 1993 when

a Kazakh government decision

44

allowed the

geological exploration and development of

oil deposits in the area (especially Tengiz).

Given the rich biological diversity and vul-

nerability of the shallow northern Caspian in

the event of an accident, the environmen-

tal impact of oil pollution in this area could

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