Каспинфо
февраль 2000

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Название: Отчет Каспийской экологической программы (на англ. яз)
Главные Пункты:
Тезисы докладов участников Первого Регионального семинара <Оценка трансграничных приоритетов сохранения биоразнообразия Каспийского моря>. (Продолжение)
* Ахмад Савари Статус биоразнообразия в Исламской республике Иран
* Наджафов А. Обзор состояния и проблемы по изучению биоразнообразия в Каспийском море (в пределах Азербайджана).
* Атамурадов Х. И., Беркелиев Т. К. Состояние и проблемы охраны биоразнообразия в Туркменском секторе Каспийского моря и прибрежных районах.
(08.02.2000)

Полный Текст
Отчет Каспийской экологической программы (на англ. яз)
Dr. Ahmad Savari

Status of Biodiversity in I.R. IRAN

In the name of God
1. General
In I.R. IRAN- biological diversity has long been recognised as an important national and
international environmental issue, dating back to the first international symposium on conservation
of nature in Ramsar (Ramsar Convention). Since then, the variability among living organisms from
all other aquatic systems and the ecological complexes of which they are part including within
species, between species, and ecosystems have been assessed in coastal and marine areas of the
Southern Caspian.
Our national belief is that "biodiversity" is a necessity and not a luxury, and our national strategy is
to study biodiversity at its three levels, genetic diversity (population, individuals, chromosomes,
genes and nucleotide), organismal diversity (kingdoms, phyla, families, genera, species, subspecies,
population and individuals) and ecological diversity (biomes, bioregion, land scapes, ecosystems,
habitats, niches).
We believe that biodiversity not only provides direct benefits like food, medicine, and energy, it
also affords us a life support system. Biodiversity is required for the recycling of essential elements,
such as Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. It is also responsible for mitigating pollution, protecting
watersheds, and combating soil erosion.

2. Scientific Research and Organization
To fulfil our national aim and strategy, many governmental and non-governmental organizations
and centres have been established.
These include:
- Ministry of Jehad, Department of Fisheries with four research centres: two in Gilan and two in
Mazandaran provinces.
- Department of Environment with 3 marine stations along the coast.
- Ministry of Energy with Khazar Research Centre at Sari, Mazandaran province.
- Ministry of Road and Transportation (Port and Shipping Organization and Department of
Meteorology) with offices and stations in all three provinces of the Caspian.
- Scientific organizations: A number of universities having marine science departments offer
different courses on the biodiversity and protection of the Caspian environment. Universities
like Gilan, Noor, Babolsar and Gorgan address many environmental aspects of the Caspian Sea.
- NGOs and private sector
Many NGOS and private sectors are active in the study of the Caspian biodiversity. They can
provide consultancy and help to the Caspian biodiversity.

3. Biodiversity experts
Accordingly many environmental experts educated inside or outside the country are carrying out the
work of biodiversity assessment. A rough estimate of their number comes to about 250-300 people.

4. Research projects
Many projects have already been undertaken and some are currently in progress by national
scientific institutions. They can be classified as follows:
1- Projects at national level: Four major projects have already been carried out concerning the
biodiversity of the southern regions of the Caspian Sea. Two of them (namely "fauna and
flora" and "the pollution load") were conducted in the coastal regions (less than l0m depth).
The other two (called "hydrology and hydrobiology of the southern Caspian" and "the
Caspian marine resources") were concerned with the offshore water to a depth of 900m. The
hydrology and hydrobiology project is a major one, taking almost 5 years with cooperation
between Fisheries Research centres and the Department of Environment.
2- Projects at institutional level: All mentioned centres carry out annual projects concerning
biodiversity and bioresources of the coastal and offshore water of the Caspian. An average
of 15 projects per centre is a good estimate.
3- Projects at student level: Most universities of the region run MSc. and Ph.D. Courses. The
M.Sc. and Ph.D. Projects are mainly conducted on the biodiversity of the Southern Caspian.
We have supervised some of these projects especially in Anzali Lagoon and Gorgan Bay.

5. Biodiversity and living resources.
The outcome of research conducted so far indicates that the Caspian Sea is a habitat for a large
variety of flora and fauna. The biological diversity of the Caspian Sea and its coastal zone makes
the region one of the most valuable ecosystems of the world. The rate of biological endemism in the
Caspian Sea is extremely high and it has a wide representation from almost all the major phyla on
earth. The Caspian Seam with its diversified habitats ranging from vast river systems to extensive
wetland systems, supports diverse flora and fauna with high natural productivity.
The coastal flora is represented by 357 species of higher plants belonging to 185 genera and 35
families. The most common families are: Asteraceae (18%), Chenopodiaceae (13%), Fabaceae
(11%), and also herbaceous species (86%), Shrubs (6%), and trees (0.5 %).
The entire Caspian Sea has poor zooplankton diversity, but it has representatives of Arctic,
Mediterranean, and the endemic species (about 100 species). In the Southern Caspian Sea, the
major zooplankton groups are: Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda, Mysidacea and miscellaneous
Plankton.
The Phytobenthos in the Caspian consists of about 64 species which include 22 species of red algae,
13 species of brown algae, and 29 species of green algae, abundant at water depth up to 15-25 m.
There are more than 500 species of zoobenthos in the Caspian with the main groups including
Gastropods, Bivalves, Molluscs, Oligochaetes, and Chironomids.
The Caspian Sea fishes are less varied compared to the open ocean regions. The Caspian fishes
include about 125 species belonging to 17 families, mostly carp (33%), gobies (28%), and shads
(14%). More than 40 species or groups of fishes are used commercially in the Caspian, the most
important of which are sturgeon and kutum fisheries. Five species and two subspecies of sturgeon
exist in the Caspian, belonging to the genera Huso and Acipenser.
Besides the main groups mentioned, the Caspian Sea Phoca caspica is the only mammal in the
Caspian Sea with a wide distribution throughout the entire Caspian Sea .
The inventory list of Caspian species with an emphasis on the Southern species are presented in
annex 1.

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Najafov A.
Survey of Status and Problems Relating to Investigations of Biodiversity in the The Caspian
Sea (within the territory of Azerbaijan).

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

Let me thank the organizers for their invitation to the Regional Workshop on Biodiversity.

Unfortunately Azerbaijan has not yet ratified the Convention on Biodiversity, Ramsar and Bonn
convention. But in the nearest future, they will be ratified. Therefore the works on preparation of
National Strategy and Action Plans as well as National Reports have not been initiated.

At the same time, it should be mentioned that the NEAP has been developed and approved in the
Republic, which reflected some issues relevant to biodiversity preservation.

Therefore, taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like briefly to inform workshop
participants about some activities related to biodiversity conservation in the Republic.

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on the earth with an area exceeding 400 thousand sq.km., and it
is a unique internal-drainage reservoir. Located at the junction of the European and Asian
continents, the Caspian Sea stretches more than 1200 km., with average width of 310 km. The
length of coastline varies because of water-level fluctuation, and is approximately equal to 6000
km. The Caspian Sea encroaches on the shores of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan,
and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its drainage covers the most important densely populated districts
of the European continent having developed industrial potential.

At present, marine borders of the Republic are not fixed yet and there is no agreement on the legal
status of the Caspian Sea. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijan coastline is more than 800 km. long. The
coastline of the middle part of the Caspian Sea starting from Samur River up to the Absheron
peninsula is relatively smooth. Here, there are no islands on gulfs jutting out into the sea. From
Absheron to the Astarachay River, the coastline is quite tortuous: a number of capes and spits
together with Kizil-Agachskiy Gulf and a large group of islands form a unique coast. In the
southern part of the Caspian Sea, islands form archipelagos: Absheron (Jiloy, Urunos, Peschaniy
and others) and Baku (islands Bulla, Svinoy, Duvanniy, Glinyaniy and others).

Unique flora and fauna have survived in the Caspian Sea up to now, including 90% of world
sturgeon stocks. Deterioration of the environment primarily affects the endemic fauna. The
population of commercial fish species (surgeons and herrings) has considerably declined, and a few
species of fishes are included in Red Book. Two species - sea zander and Caspian thorn have
disappeared.

Vegetative groups are zoned according to marine and salinity regimes. Typically, vegetative groups
consecutively change, from the sea to the shore, parallel to the coastline, from primitive to more
complicated in the following order: wet, salty sands, fixed and semi-steady, main components of
which are siberian turnephortion, rush, Caspian statice, tatar lettuce. Rush grows in nether lands.
Sometimes tamarisk and sitnic can be found; dry, insufficiently winnowed or non-winnowed sands
where perennial grass, suffruticies, ephemeris and ephemerids grow.

In the coastal area of Absheron, vegetative groups have been demolished and do not form dense
cover. Species content is similar to dry semi-desert species and varieties of undemanding plants.

Shore vegetation in the coastal area of the southern part of the Caspian Sea has some
distinctions.

350 plant species belong to coastal flora of the Caspian Sea, which are classified within 215
genus and 66 families. Seven types of plants are endemic (3 Caucasian and 4 Azerbaijani).
10 types of plants are considered rare and are included in the Red Book of Azerbaijan. In the
southern part of the Caspian Sea, there are 105 species of phytoplankton, including diatoms
(bacillariophyta) -64 species, blue-green (Cyanopheta) -19 species, green (Chlorophita)-
9 species, and dinophyta. - 13 species.

In general, in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, there are 156 species of algae flora, of which
five are endemic and three are species.

In the Caspian Sea there are 315 species of animal plankton, out of which 180 species inhabit the
southern part of the Caspian Sea.

The coast of Azerbaijan is critical in terms of ornithology, because of large number of birds, which
fly through this region during spring and autumn migrations or stop here for rest and over-
wintering. Kizil-Agach and Shirvan protected areas play significant roles in breeding of waterfowls.
Kizil-Agach protected area is the largest wetland in Azerbaijan and falls under criteria allowing to
recognize it as wetland plot of international importance, mainly as ecotope of waterfowls, according
to provisions of the Ramsar Convention.

More than 350 species and sub-species of birds have been registered along the coast of the Caspian
Sea and in the Lenkoran lowland. Out of those 78 species and sub-species stay in this region
permanently, 61 species and sub-species use this region for migratory and breeding purposes, 126
species and sub-species of birds spend winters here, 64 birds species and subspecies regularly fly
through this region, and 26 species and sub-species fly through it from time to time. 55 species of
mammals, which belong to 7 families, have been registered at the shore of coastal zone. The only
marine mammal of the Caspian Sea is the caspian seal (Phoca caspica). At present, there are 4 state
national parks in Azerbaijan (the total area of which is 191.2 thousand hectares), 20 game-reserves,
(the total area of which is 320.5 thousand hectares) and 2 state hunting plots, total area of which is
45.7 thousand hectares. Out of these specially protected territories, Kizil-Agach, Shirvan, and
Girkan national parks and Maliy Kizil Agachskiy, Bandovanskiy, islands Glinaniy and Kusarskiy
game-reserves are located in the coastal zone.

Kizil-Agach state protected area is located at south-western coast of the Caspian Sea, having an area
of 88.4 thousand hectares, out of which 62 thousands hectares contribute marine environment, was
established on 3rd of July 1929. In 1975, according to the Ramsar Convention, this protected area
was included in the list of territories having international importance, mainly as ecotope of
waterfowls and birds inhabiting near water. The whole-protected territory is an important place for
wintering and resting of migratory birds in the Caspian region, where many bird species from
northern Europe find their shelters.

In general, there are 310 species of flora of higher level growing here, which belong to 189 genus
and 51 families. In this protected area, 270 bird species can be found, including red malled, little
bustard, spoon-bill, swans, flamingo, gray and white forehead geese, brand geese, falcon, steppe
eagle, ducks, pelicans, bald-coot, and others.

Wild boar, wolf, jackal, rush cat, badgers otter, fox and other mammals are found here. In the ponds
of this protected area there are 54 fish species: zander, carps, black sea roach, gray mullet, salmons,
sturgeons, and others.

In 1978, Small Kizil-Agach protected territory was founded, which is adjacent to Kizil Agach state
protected area. The area of this protected territory is 10.7 thousand hectares. The flora and fauna
here are the same as in the previously described protected area. The main purpose for establishment
of this protected area was protection and rehabilitation of waterfowl.

Shirvan protected area was established in 1969 with the purpose of protection and propagation of
oytred gazelles, waterfowls, and also other peculiar to Shirvan lowland fauna bio types. Its area is
25.8 thousand hectares, out of which 3500 hectares are reservoirs. Bandovan protected area was
founded in 1961, covering 30 thousand hectares in the zone between Salyan and Karadag districts
of Azerbaijan. It is a fauna-type protected area and was established for the purpose of preservation
and rehabilitation of the population of oytred gazelles, waterfowl and little bustard. It has common
borders with the Shirvan state protected area. In terms of its fauna and flora, it is identical to the
Shirvan protected area.

Girkan state protected area is located in the Lenkoran district and has landscapes characteristic of
humid subtropics. It was established in December 1936, and its status and name have been
repeatedly changed. Its total area of 2975 hectares consists of two plots. Its main objective is
protection of endemic and relict vegetation of girkan type.

Flora of this protected area comprises 1900 species, out of which 16 are endemic, 95 rare, and 38
endangered. Glinaniy Island is a nesting place for silver seagull.


************
Atamuradov Kh.I., Berkeliyev T.K.
Status and Problems of Biodiversity Protection in the Turkmen Sector of the Caspian Sea and
Coastal Areas.

Status of biological diversity of Turkmen sector of the Caspian region.

The main source of information regarding to this issue is the National Report of Turkmenistan to
the Caspian Environment Programme (1998). In the report, there is a list of species inhabiting in the
Caspian Sea and its coasts, including endemic and species demanding protection. Additional
information was collected for the new edition of the Red Book of Turkmenistan Republic (1999).

Analysis of available information indicates on unequal degree of study of the territory as well as
subjects of study. Migratory birds and fishes are studied best of all; the level of investigation of
invertebrates, fauna and plankton organisms is low.

Khazar national park, established in 1969, belongs to the specially protected areas of the Turkmen
coast of the Caspian Sea. This protected area consists of two parts. Turkmenbashi plot (area of 192
thousand hectares) consists of the water area of Turkmenbashi, Northern Cheleken, Balkhan, and
Mikhaylov gulfs bordered by a kilometer strip of desert and saline soil. The Gasan Kuliy plot is of
oasis type in the lowland of Atrek River and shallow coastal waters (70 thousand hectares).

Wetland areas of the protected territory are included in the list of Ramsar Convention, because they
are of "international importance, mainly as ecotope of waterfowls." More than 280 bird species
(about half of them waterfowl and swamp birds), approximately 40 species of mammals, 31 species
of lizard and snakes, more than 20 species of fishes and more than 400 types of high level fauna
inhabit this area. The central office, laboratory and museum are situated in the city of
Turkmenbashi.

By its legal status the reserved area is considered as a scientific-research institution. The main
objective of this protected area is protection and integrated study of natural complexes of marine
environments of the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and nestling and resting for migration and
over-wintering for waterfowl and other rare and valuable birds.

Ogurchin protected territory, with total area of 7 thousand hectares, is located at the eastern coast of
the Caspian Sea, 30 km. to the south of Cheleken city, on the Ogurchin island of the Caspian Sea.
This reserve is ancillary to Khazar State Protected Area of the Ministry of Nature Protection.

Major risks to the biodiversity in Turkmenistan are:
- The Caspian Sea-level rise causes change of ecotopes and also submersion of contaminated
areas.
- Oil production in water and coastal area.
- Transport (especially oil transportation). It is necessary to take into account projected oil and
gas pipelines to be laid on the bed of the Caspian Sea, and also likely increase of tanker
transportation via the Iranian port of Anzali.
- Pollution from coastal industries and settlements. At the Turkmen coast, the main contaminating
industries are located in Turkmenbashi, Cheleken, and Bekdash. The same cities are also
responsible for discharge of municipal wastes in the sea. From transboundary perspective, a
special concern is the fate of the Nuclear Power Station (NPS) in Akhtau (Kazakhstan).
- Parasitology situation. Increase of morbidity of many animals is observed, which, at present, is
not correlated with a specific certain type of environment pollution.

The legal basis and framework in Turkmenistan are parts of activity of the CRTC on Biodiversity.
The main responsibility for the status of biodiversity lies with the Ministry of Nature Protection and
its divisions. Coastal areas are the responsibility of the Balkan division for nature protection; there
exists also special institution "Caspian Ecological Control" responsible for the environmental
conditions of the sea. Khazar protected area plays significant role as a protection and scientific-
research establishment. Relatively recently, there has been established a special state commission
for ensuring fulfillment of liabilities of Turkmenistan derived from international nature protection
conventions. The commission comprises representatives of the primary ministries at the rank of
deputy ministers or leading specialists, and represents a good tool for coordination of resolutions of
emerging problems.

Some NGOs also render assistance in the activity of biodiversity preservation.

Main problems and priorities for interaction within the Caspian Environment Programme. At the
present time, the most important issues are establishment of transboundary interaction of Khazar
Protected Area with protected areas of neighboring countries, particularly with Kazakhstan and
Iran, sturgeon protection, solution of the problem of Adgar spawning grounds (mouth of Atrek
river, most of whose water is used for irrigation purposes by Iran), and ratification by Turkmenistan
of the Ramsar Convention.

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