КаспИнфо

Каспинфо
апрель 2001

Название: Материалы на английском - I
Главные Пункты:
* Программа и некоторые тезисы докладов конференции "Динамика развития бассейнов Черного и Каспийского морей", организованной в 2000 г. IREX при содействии Отдела образования и культура Госдепартамента США и Фонда Старра.
(17.04.2001)

Полный Текст
Материалы на английском - I
Материалы на английском - IV

***
Regional Dynamics of the Black and
Caspian Sea Basins
September 2-3, 2000 Conference in
Ukraine

Conference Proceedings

DESA, UKRAINE-As part of continuing efforts to bridge the
worlds of scholarship and policy, the International Research &
Exchanges Board (IREX) hosted an alumni conference entitled "Regional Dynamics of
the Black and Caspian Sea Basins," supported by the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State (ECA) under the Freedom
Support Act and by The Starr Foundation. The last decade has produced a
number of developments that have brought the Black and Caspian Seas into the center of
multiple interactions. These two interrelated basins act as centers of gravity that pull their
environs together, but are currently understudied.

This conference was a forum where alumni of ECA exchange programs and
other interested scholars and professionals reviewed the current body
of knowledge on the Black and Caspian Sea regions, identified areas
where additional research is needed. Approximately 60 participants
from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova,
Romania, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the United States
attended. Click here for a full list of participants.

The conference consisted of a series of panels and working discussions
on:
Basin-Centered Analysis;
The History of the Black and Caspian Sea Regions;
Movement of People: Migration, Tourism, and Business Travel;
Movement of Goods: Conventional Trade, Shuttle Trade, and
Integration of Infrastructure;
Movement of Ideas;
Security in the Region: Opportunities and Obstacles;
Environment in the Region.

***
Environment in the Region

Go to Main Black and Caspian Sea
Basins Conference Page

Kamran Abdullayev, Associate Director, Center of Environmental
Studies, Azerbaijan
Challenges to Environmental Cooperation in the Caspian

Regional and global debates continue over the Caspian Sea. The power
struggles involve Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkey, the United States,
and others, with environmental considerations being used to bolster national security and profit
objectives. While these considerations from regional leaders are often valid, some
argue that they are only being used for geopolitical purposes.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, all the Caspian states have
taken a way of political and economical solutions. However, it is important
to note that the political and economical issues in the region are
preferable to environmental protection issues. While Western European
countries have been unifying and most of the them make a significant contribution
towards the solution of global environmental problems, the issues of environmental
security in the Caspian region are completely or partly dependent on the
political and economical interests of big, powerful states. For
instance, a quick definition of the Caspian status, which is intentionally delayed,
could put a basis for a comprehensive international environmental
cooperation in the region. In fact, no one country in the region is
able to solve all environmental problems of the Caspian alone. Only by common efforts
of all Caspian states, is it possible to prevent and to
improve some of ecological problems that presently exist in the
region.

One of the important factors for environmental solutions is financial
investment to state programs and to a high number of private projects.
Unfortunately, the financial standing of the most of the Caspian countries
makes it impossible to invest considerable financial resources toward
solving regional ecological problems. So, the financial and technological support from
international institutes and organizations is the only way out of the current situation
in the region of the Caspian basin.

In the meantime, most international financial organizations such as the World Bank,
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, TACIS and others have invested in the
regional environmental economics with some caution. The main reason for this is a number of
conflicts and disagreements on political and economical issues among the Caspian states.
This prevents the establishment of sustainable development and friendly environment in
the region and places some restrictions on big investment in the
region. It is obvious that a sustainable situation in the region will
allow international organizations to make a great financial contribution toward environmental
solutions.

Another important factor in environmental protection issues is the interaction between the
governments of the Caspian States and foreign oil companies. For oil companies, a
paramount priority is obviously the oil business while the observance of ecological
standards is a secondary priority. From the point of view of
the governments of the Caspian States, both of these tasks are very
important. It is important for the Caspian regional governments to take into account
all the ecological standards and measures in the process of signing oil contracts.
The governments of littoral states should regulate more efficiently a
business mechanism, with all oil companies involved, that strictly
observes and monitors all standards of environmental security in the region.
A technology application suitable to international standards of
environmental security; doing monthly monitoring in the Caspian
Sectors; increasing the regime of safety measures; creation of accident services;
etc., should be included in the mechanism of relations between
the Caspian States governments and foreign and local oil companies.
Unfortunately, by this time, a high number of gaps have been made by both
of sides in issues of environmental protection.

The relation of governmental structures to non-governmental and
private organizations in the countries of the Caspian Sea, including Azerbaijan
causes some disappointment. For example, the influence of NGOs
on governmental institutions and oil companies is not considerable.
So, NGOs in Azerbaijan, involved mainly in small projects, have no access
to work on large-scale environmental programs and projects.
The main reason for this is the absence of a mechanism in the
relationship between governmental institutions and NGOs. Moreover,
unfortunately, some corrupt governmental officials are not interested in
the involvement of NGOs in large-scale work. These tendencies can not
give us a complete and objective "picture" about the real environmental
situation in the Caspian region.

Thus, it is extremely necessary to consolidate all forces and work out
mechanisms of cooperation among the government, NGOs, and Western
institutions and companies, as well as to search for ways of
international cooperation among Caspian States in order to solve the
environmental problems of the Caspian. For a more effective solution of the
environmental pollution problems, the Caspian basin states
have to cooperate and create an appropriate and open international
economic system, which would result in economic growth and sustainable
development in all countries.

Valentina Pidlisnyuk, Advisor, Parliament of Ukraine
The State of the Environment in the Black and Azov Seas (Ukrainian
region)

The Black and Azov Seas are completely separate from the Oceans of the
world. The territory of their water collection basin is somewhat higher than
seas' surfaces. That is why human activity in the region has
a big impact on the seas' environment.

Around 98% of the territory of Ukraine is located in the Black and Azov Seas basin.
The water collection basin occupies approximately 2.4 million square kilometers (1.5
million square miles). 23% of the Azov and Black Seas water collection basin is
in Ukraine, including the basins of such rivers as the Danube,
Dnipr, Dnister, South Bug and others. The overall beach line extends
more than 3,000 km (1,870 miles).

Large ports and cities as well as the Danube and Dnipr deltas have the
biggest influence on the condition of the Black and Azov Seas environment.
The greatest human impact can be seen near Odessa,
Illichovsk, Berdyansk, and Mariupol.
During the last five years, the environment has improved, mostly
because of the reduction and improvement of the quality of wastewater.
For example, in Odessa the release of untreated wastewater
was reduced by 55 million cubic meters (12 billions gallons) when the
biological station "South" started to work. However, the release of 10,000 cubic
meters per day of untreated wastewater from the city of
Balaklava, as well as the absence of a biological station for
municipal water treatment in Sevastopol, has caused appreciable damage to the Black Sea.

Oil products are one of the most common contaminants of seawater.
According to the State Inspection of Black Sea Protection, concentrations of oil
products are 1.5 times higher than is permitted near the ports
of Odessa, Illichovsk, and Kerch, and 2-10 times higher than
permissible levels near Sevastopol. The Yalta region has the lowest concentration of oil
products in the Black Sea waters. Such dangerous
compounds as chlororganic pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls can
be found in concentrations of 0-4 ng/l and 1-30 ng/l. These compounds have
been found in highest concentrations at the Danube delta.

It is interesting to stress that nature-preservation projects have had a positive influence
on the state of the Black Sea environment. Seven nature conservancy areas, one national
natural park, and 134 nature parks have been created at the Ukrainian part of the Black Sea
beach. The overall surface of all nature preserves is 2,800 square kilometers
(1750 square miles) or around 15% of all beach lines.

The state of the Black Sea Environment is at the center of Ukrainian environmental policy.
In March 1998, the Ukrainian Parliament approved the "Guidelines of State
Police in Environmental Protection, Use of Natural Resources and Ensuring of
Environmental Safety." This document laid out a long-term
strategy for resolving Ukrainian ecological problems and has identified seven main national
priorities in environmental protection issues. One of these priorities is "to
prevent pollution of the Black and Azov Seas and improve their ecological conditions."

Since then, some steps have been taken to implement this plan. The state has elaborated
its program to protect and renew the Black Sea. This program is focused on the
following problems:

Decreasing waste water release to the Black Sea basin;
Preserving biological resources;
Balancing the use of the sea and the beachline;

It is well known that environmental challenges do not stop at borders.
Ukraine has made significant efforts toward resolving Black Sea regional environmental
problems. The main document that provides a framework for international cooperation
is the "Convention for Black Sea protection from contamination,"
which was signed in 1992 and ratified by Ukraine in 1994. The
convention delineates the priorities for the preservation of the sea and elimination
of pollutants, and defines conditions in emergency situations. The
convention also lays out conditions for conducting joint research
work, and describes the main directions for improving national environmental legislation.

The Ministries Declaration about Black Sea Protection (Odessa, 1993)
defined the political framework for implementation of the Convention. First and foremost, this
declaration takes into account principles of sustainable development.

Today's implementation process includes:

elaboration on regional joint criteria for environmental
evaluation;
coordination of national environmental programs;
implementation of a coordinated system for the monitoring of
seawater.

Following the ratification of the Aurchus Convention "About access to information, public
participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental issues" in
Ukraine, a new step was taken in the process of protecting the Black Sea.
Ukraine took part in a number of large public conferences involving
NGOs and research institutes devoted to establishing international
united procedures for preservation of the Danube and Dnister rivers and the Black Sea.

In 1999-2000 special united sessions of the Ecological Committees from the Ukrainian
Parliament and the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and from the Ukrainian
Parliament and Slovak Republic Parliament were held. All these public meetings
have tried to add new proposals to Black Sea protection
plan as well as create new mechanisms for improving the state of the
Black Sea environment.

Alexander Souvorov, Chairman, Ecological Center "FENIX," Russia
Environmental Safety in the Region: Opportunities and Obstacles

The preservation of the distinctive natural features and environmental
safety of the Black Sea coastal zone is vital for sustained economic development of this area.
A desirable level of effective environmental conservation in the Black
Sea coastal zone can be achieved by creating an efficient mechanism
for managing natural resources in this zone.

Today, the Black Sea coastal zone is a dumping ground for different pollutants, the majority
of which are land-based. Urbanization, development of industry, shipping, fishing, and
tourism are only a few factors causing disturbance of the ecological balance in this zone.
The main obstacle to nature conservation and environmentally safe
economic development in this region is the large number of different
users - both on the national and on the international scale.

The increased environmental load in the Black Sea coastal zone and the
destruction of its natural resource base urgently necessitates a
controlled, coordinated, scientifically based, and environmentally
sound long-term approach to the regulation of both the coastal regions
and the areas adjoining them.

Protecting the environmental safety of the Black Sea coastal zone, and
the Black Sea itself, against contamination is a great challenge - both on a
local scale and on the biosphere scale.

Its solution requires uniting the efforts of all parties concerned. It is only through the
joint efforts of scientists, specialists, entrepreneurs, and the general public of all
the states located in the coastal zone of the Black Sea that
sustained economic development, rational natural resources management,
and environmental safety of the Black Sea coast can be procured.
Multilateral scientific and technological cooperation within the framework of
such joint efforts is necessary for environmental conservation in the Black Sea coastal zone and
protection of its biological resources against contamination.

The problem of evaluating the state of marine ecosystems and their
biological resources deserves special attention. Monitoring of all
water bodies in the sea basin, aimed at preventing the pollution of
the Black and Azov Seas, is no less important. The consequences of
such pollution can be overcome by effectively managing economic
activity (both on the continental part of the coastal area and in the
shelf zone), improving the environmental monitoring system,
implementing shore strengthening, and other relevant engineering works
on the shore, etc.

Environmental safety is a matter of primary concern in the Black Sea
coastal zone because this is an important tourist and health resort area,
visited by many people from numerous European and Asian countries.

The unique hydrological, hydrochemical, and environmental conditions
in the Black Sea coastal zone make its flora and fauna especially sensitive
to variations in the sea water temperature, salinity, and
chemical composition. Therefore, it is necessary to create a system of
management that would ensure not only the conservation of the natural
environment but also rational use of the natural resources herein.

Existing international agreements do not embrace all the relevant
aspects of environmental pollution by "third" countries. Thus, regionally
based cooperation with such "third" countries and relevant international organizations is very
important.

The paper also analyzes basic environmental safety requirements for
concrete types of pollutants disposed and relevant measures for
strengthening international cooperation.

Zhaniya B. Ussen, Assistance, L.L.C. Law Firm
Ecological and Legal Issues of the Caspian Sea Basin

Just recently Kazakhstan celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first
oil discovery in its territory of the Caspian Sea basin. Perhaps no one
would disagree that a century ago the environmental conditions of
that region were much better in many respects than they are now. The
level of water in the Caspian Sea was at its optimum, and the water itself
was clean and safe for sea wildlife and population of the area.

In the past few decades exploration and production operations for gas
and oil in the region have been substantially intensified. Operations are
performed both inland and offshore, including in the most
ecology-sensitive shallow waters area.

Such intense oil production occurs under conditions of a continuing
rise of the water level of the Caspian Sea, resulting in flooding of
oil storages, and abandonment of oil wells and other gas and oil
facilities. Frequent oil spills are yet another problem threatening
the environmental safety of the region. Data provided by the
Kazakhstani Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Natural
Resources and Protection of Environment indicates that in recent years
approximately 194,000 hectares of land were polluted by spillage of
nearly 5 million tons of oil.

Among other factors contributing to the dramatic worsening of the
environment - including military testing sites activity, space ship
launches, illegal catch of fish, and use of obsolete equipment and
technology - the pollution and contamination of the water in the
Caspian Sea has been identified as a major environmental problem of
the region and in many instances is described as an on-going and
continuing process immediately associated with the progress of gas and
oil operations therein.

Concentrations of petroleum toxins, agricultural pesticides and highly
toxic chemical substances, such as mercury and cadmium, continue to
grow in the water. Accidents associated with oil recovery are often
accompanied with gas seepage. In course of oil exploration drillings,
operators often allow industrial and household effluent into the sea
of poorly refined water containing phenols, salts of ammonium, various
superficially active substances in concentrations 6 - 200 times higher
than the maximum permissible level.

This in its turn results in chronic poisoning of sea animals and
birds. In fact this was officially recognized by the Kazakhstani
Ministry of Natural Resources and Protection of Environment to be the
principal cause of the mass death of Caspian seals last year and this
year when, as a result of water contamination in the Caspian Sea,
about 10% of all such species died. Similar disasters occurred in 1998
in Azerbaijan and Russia. According to Kazakhstani and Russian
scientists, Caspian fish, including sturgeon, were also found to be
highly toxic and, therefore, their catch is continuing to dramatically
decline. Besides this, intoxication and seismological methods utilized
in the course of gas and oil exploration negatively affect the
reproductive cycles of fish populations. Consumed as food poisoned
fish can seriously damage the human body. Statistics indicates that
cases of respiratory diseases and cancer in oil producing areas occur
three-to-five times more often compared to the other regions in
Kazakhstan.

Such a threatening ecological situation in the Caspian region compels
all five Caspian Sea countries - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia
and Turkmenistan - to combine their national efforts in solving the
existing ecological problems of the region. Various international
organizations, including UNDP, UNEP, TACIS, the World Bank and
others, render considerable aid in this process. Jointly with such
organizations the governments of five Caspian countries have developed
and adopted in 1998 the Caspian Environmental Program ("CEP") aiming
to address common environmental problems of the region such as:

An increase of the Caspian Sea level, causing flooding of coastal
areas and destruction of constructions therein, sea waters pouring into the rivers and
affecting physical and chemical specifications of river waters, damaging flora and fauna;

Pollution of the Caspian Sea by flooding and underflooding of oil and gas energy
facilities. Major sources of water pollution include:
gas and oil operations (all Caspian countries);
tankers spilling oil into the sea (Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia);
rivers bringing pollutants from factories, farms, plants, etc.
into the sea (this is one of the major
sources of pollution in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and
Russia. Turkmenistan does not have
river run-off into the sea);
discharge of waste water by enterprises, farms and towns
(Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia,
Turkmenistan);

Pollution of the atmosphere by flaring of associated gas and dusting of
industrial toxic wastes;

Contamination and degradation of soil and vegetation resulted from
activity of gas, oil, chemical, power plants;

Exhaustion of underground waters as a result of uncontrolled
extraction and use for drinking and technical needs;

Dramatic reduction of sturgeon populations, Caspian seals, saiga
and other wildlife as a result of pollution and poisoning. Construction of
a number of hydroelectric power stations on the Volga river is also seen
as a contributing factor making it difficult for fish, like sturgeon, to access their
traditional spawning sites.

Priority solutions to these problems include preservation of the flooded oil wells
and industrial toxic wastes, liquidation of oil pollution, recycling of associated gas,
prevention of emergencies and environmental pollution, prevention of poaching,
construction and operation of sturgeon-breeding factories in the Ural River,
responses to emergency situations and effective ecological control through
designation of authorized agencies and their effective communication.
The authorities, companies, and populations of some countries are developing
plans of action in case of oil spillage and other emergency
situations while other countries have not yet developed such plans.

To provide effective solutions to the common environmental problems,
each of the Caspian Sea countries has assumed responsibility over particular matters.
For example, Azerbaijan undertook responsibility for pollution control and information
management, Iran became responsible for coastal management, pollution
clean-up and handling environmental disaster, Kazakhstan agreed to
protect biodiversity and water level fluctuations, Russia assumed legal and
economic management and the sustained management of maritime
life, and Turkmenistan became responsible for sustained human
development, healthcare, and containment of deforestation.

In the framework of the CEP each Caspian country has developed its own
national program of ecological improvement. In Kazakhstan the program is called the National
Environmental Action Plan adopted in 1998 (the "Plan").

The Plan provides for identification of the most important national
environmental priorities, naming the Caspian Sea area to be the first - Zone A - priority.
As part of implementation of the CEP and the Plan, Kazakhstan is currently
working on solving oil leakage problems, carrying out preventive works,
liquidation and control of environment pollution, setting up a
monitoring and data management system, strengthening biodiversity
conservation and setting up a system of bioresources management, establishing
a management system, and strengthening the role of population.

To this extent, in recent years the country has also intensified its
participation in a number of applicable international treaties, such as the
Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on the Ozone Layer
Protection, the Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention
on Biodiversity Conservation, and others.

Besides participation in the treaties, Kazakhstan has developed and
adopted a whole set of laws and regulations aimed at protecting of the environment.
This includes, first of all, the Constitution, the Water
Code, the laws on Protection of the Environment, on Protection,
Reproduction and Use of Fauna, on Ecological Control, on Payments for
Use of Biological Resources, on Specially Protected Natural
Territories, on Ecological Expertise, on Petroleum, the decrees of the
President on Land, on Mineral Resources, and others. The aggregate number of legislative and
normative acts regulating environment protection matters in Kazakhstan numbers around 90.

To study fluctuations of the Caspian Sea level, two regional Thematic Centers were
established in Almaty and Atyrau.

Notwithstanding this, a number of regulations addressing the issues of
prevention and liquidation of water contamination in Kazakhstan and
its Caspian Sea basin, is still insufficient. In a number of cases
companies have to apply the obsolete norms and standards that were set
forth by the governing authorities of the former USSR. In the circumstances of practical
absence of effective sanitary rules and norms of protection of water reservoirs
and seas from pollution, some mineral resource users establish
their own limitations of permissible pollution, thereby justifying
cases of pollution they have actually committed.

It must also be noted although all Caspian countries have developed
national laws in the area of natural resources and environment protection,
good and effective mechanisms of enforcement of such laws are still lacking.

Current us of mineral resources in the Caspian Sea indicates the
compelling need for combined efforts of all Caspian Sea countries in
development of mechanisms for implementation of already adopted legislative
and normative acts and the development of norms and standards directly
regulating the aspects of environment and natural resources protection in course
of gas and oil production in the Caspian Sea basin.