Caspian Sea States sign deal to enhance responses against oil pollution

Caspian Sea States sign deal to enhance responses against oil pollution

2011-08-16 09:11:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The five countries bordering the Caspian Sea have undertaken the commitment to strengthen regional responses to oil pollution in the world's largest enclosed body of water, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced on Monday.

High-level representatives from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan met last week in the Kazakhstan city of Aktau for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) to the Tehran Convention, a legally-binding agreement signed by all parties on the environmental protection of the Caspian region, to which UNEP provides the Secretariat.

"The adoption of the Protocol Concerning Regional Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in Combating Oil Pollution Incidents by the five Caspian States marks a historic milestone in their determination to protect and preserve the Caspian Sea environment against the threats posed by oil pollution," UNEP said in a statement issued on Monday.

According to UNEP, once the five signing countries ratify the Protocol, it will see the introduction of an emergency response system to deal with oil pollution incidents as well as enhance monitoring measures across national borders.

Over the last two decades, the Caspian Sea has become increasingly exposed to the risk of pollution from oil and gas exploration, exploitation and transport, with the transport of oil or oil products accounting for some 10,000 shipping movements annually.

The countries have also agreed on an environmental impact assessment by establishing a set of common rules that include notifying one another of planned activities which may cause any damage to the marine environment.

The specific characteristics of the Caspian basin such as its climatic and salinity gradients have created a unique ecological system with more than 400 endemic species.

The biodiversity of the site includes 115 species of fish, among them the caviar-bearing Caspian sturgeon and the rare freshwater seal, which are endangered by over-exploitation, habitat destruction and pollution, the UNEP report stated.

"Improving knowledge about potential environmental impacts is the very backbone of international environmental cooperation and good inter-State relationships," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said during the Aktau meeting. "Addressing concerns related to potential adverse environmental trans-boundary impacts is the best recipe for preventing such impacts and safeguarding peace and stability."

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