Publication Name

Environment and Security

na and Flora (CITES)

. This depletion has

caused huge economic and environmental

losses. Unfortunately, the measures taken

by littoral states and the international com-

munity have not succeeded in curbing ille-

gal fishing, still the only source of revenue

for many impoverished communities.

Although the development of energy resourc-

es brings new opportunities to local econo-

mies and communities, it can also imperil the

region’s delicate environmental balance. Lo-

cal communities are in the front line in their

exposure to the risks and consequences of

pollution. Marine pollution is caused by in-

dustrial development of the coastal region,

exploration and exploitation of off-shore

energy resources and by rivers transporting

pollutants. The region has already witnessed

cases of pollution-related mass deaths of

birds, fish and seals. Marine pollution from

extraction and transportation of hydrocar-

bons is particularly important in the shallow

northern Caspian Sea, an area of rich biologi-

cal diversity that is vulnerable to pollution. The

Cheleken peninsula in Turkmenistan is an-

other area that demands particular attention

for the environment. Abandoned oil wells and

oil spills on land are a major pollution hazard,

due to the risk of flooding in the event of ris-

ing sea level and storm surges. This situation

has already occurred leading to the pollution

of land and sea in several areas.

Finally, in large-scale on-shore oil extraction,

the use of outdated technology and short-

sighted planning in the past have had sig-

nificant negative environmental effects in the

areas around the oilfields: soil contamination,

increased radioactivity and air pollution.

Another major issue is the quality and

quantity of freshwater available in the east-

ern Caspian region. This is certainly an ob-

stacle to further development of this part of

the basin. Poor quality water affects public

health. Again there are important inequali-

ties in the access to quality water between

rural and urban areas, with the former at a

clear disadvantage. With the rapid growth

of urban areas, water consumption by

city dwellers is expected to increase sig-

nificantly. The question of access to fresh-

water resources will be essential for the

sustainable development of the eastern

Caspian’s urban areas over the coming

decade. Water is also used in oil produc-

tion, exacerbating the problem of water

availability for other purposes and contrib-

uting to the desertification of large areas of

hinterland due to lower groundwater levels

and soil humidity, as in Uzen-Senek, Ka-

zakhstan. The main river systems of the

eastern Caspian – the Atrek in Turkmeni-

stan-Iran and the Ural in Kazakhstan-Rus-

sia – require further international attention

and improved cooperation.

The eastern Caspian region has inherited

from its Soviet past a number of military-

industrial facilities and weapons testing

sites, including nuclear arms – primary ele-

ments of the former military and industrial

security system. Activities in the region’s

military ranges had numerous impacts on

the environment, on public health among

the civilian population and their livelihoods.

Most of all these activities reduced scope

for using the land safely for farming. Extrac-

tion of uranium ore has left a large stock-

pile of radioactive waste. Remediation of

the Koshkar–Ata tailing pond and the safety

of the MAEK nuclear plant should both be

given priority. Plans to build a new nuclear

power plant on the Caspian Sea coast as a

replacement require further attention.