Republic of Kazakhstan

Ministry of Environmental Protection

Caspian Environmental Programme

National Action Programme on Enhancement of the Environment of the Caspian Sea

2003-2012

(Draft)

Astana

2003

List of executors

1. Sagidula Bekkaliyev - Head of the unit on preparation of NCAP Project, national CEP expert.

Section 1. Complex (integrated) Planning and Management of the Coastal Zone

2. Muftah Diarov – Director of the scientific center of regional environmental problems AO «Atyrau Gylym», member of «Caspiy Tabigaty» NGO, national CEP expert, responsible executor of the section.

3. Mihaul Tonkopiy – Head of the Department on Economics of Nature Use and Environmental Protection of KazGAU, national CEP expert, responsible executor.

Section II. Control and Regulation of Pollution.

4. Akimgaly Kenzhegaliyev – c.c.s., Director of TOO «Monitoring» in Atyrau city, national CEP expert, responsible executor of the section.

5. Rafina Satanova – c.c.s., Deputy Director of TOO «Monitoring», executor of some components of the section (with participation of M.Tonkopiy).

Section III. Conservation of Landscape and Biological Diversity and its Coastal Zone

6.7. Isa Baitullin – academician, d.b.s., responsible executor of the section.

8. Boris Chaikin – c.b.s., senior scientific member of Kaz NIIRH Institute, national CEP expert, responsible executor.

9. S. Temirhanov – Manager of the project ZAO «Kazakhstan Agency of the Applied Ecology», executor of some components of the section.

10. Lidiya Kurochkina – d.b.s., executor of some components of the section.

11. Valeriy Lysenko - executor of some components of the section.

Section IV. Cooperation with the Public of the Region on Environmental Management of the Caspian Sea.

It is prepared with participation of CEP experts S.Bekkaliyev., I.Baitullin, M.Diarov, A.Kenzhegaliyev, M.Tonkopiy.

12. Dinara Ahmetova – local leading consultant of the World Bank, executor of the component PPIP (Portfolio of Priority Investment Projects) and SJGP (Small Joined Grants Programme).

13. Serik Baimenov – consultant of the Committee on Caspian Problems and Oil and Gas Pollution NES SD MNREP, technical assistant.

14. Kim Yolkin – c.b.s., Chairman of the National Environmental Community, consultant on legal component of the project.

15. Ludmila Shabanova – c.b.s., Manager of the project Institutional Strengthening for Sustainable Development - consultations on NCAP project preparation.

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PASSPORT

(basic parameters of the Programme)

Contents

Passport (main parameters of the Programme)………………………………………….3

1. Structure of the Programme ……………………………………………………….. 1

2. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….……5

3. Analysis of the current state of environment in the region.

Major environmental problems (risks). ……………………………………….. … 6

3.1.Nature-and-climatic factors of destabilization of the costal zone

ecosystem ……………………………………………………………………….…..7

3.2. Anthropogenic factors of destabilization of the costal zone.

Historical pollution and degradation of the environment. ……… ………………... 8

3.3. Pollution of the water resources and the Caspian Sea…………………………. …. 9

3.4. Analysis of the current environmental situation…………………………………… .10

3.5. The state of biological diversity and the tendencies of its changes …..……………. 12

3.5.1. Water species ……………………………………………………………… …… 12

3.5.2. Coastal species ………………………………………………………………..…. 15

3.5.3 Analysis of the problems of conservation of biological diversity ………… …… 16

3.6. Social-and economic impact and conditions ……………………………… ……. 20

7. Causes-and–consequences analysis of the environmental problems

of the region . ……………………………………………………………..…… … 21

3.7.1 Primary problems of sustainable use of transboundary costal zone ……………….21

3.7.2 Primary causes of water resources pollution and the Caspian Sea ……… ……… 21

3.7.3 Primary causes of the problems of reduction of biodiversity …………………….. 22

3.8 New environmental threats and risks ……………………………………………… 23

4.Objectives and targets of the Programme …………………………………………...24

5. Main directions and mechanisms of implementation of the Programme ……….. 28

6. Required resources and sources of financing …………………… ………... ……. 28

7. Expected results of implementation of the Programme ………………..…………. 29

8.Plan of activities on implementation of the Programme (I stage) ………………… 30

2. Introduction

The Caspian region of the country with valuable biological resources, considerable-mineral-and raw potential and with peculiarities of geographical location is of exclusively strategic importance not only in the economy but in international policy of the country as well. In the sphere of economy the region has great perspectives for development.

The Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea comprises Northern-and-Eastern water area of the Caspian Sea with the total length of the costal line stretching for about 2320 km. and it is approximately one third of the total length of the costal sea line. The costal zone of the Northern and Eastern part of the Caspian Sea stretches through the territory of the Atyrau and Mangystau oblasts.

Originality of the Caspian Sea is defined by its biochemical parameters. The Caspian Sea is an exclusive and internal-drainage water body and it is the sea of geographical drastic changes of temperature and salinity, its ecological system includes remainders of the fauna and flora of major regional seas. High-endemic fauna and flora inhabit the Caspian Sea.

Shallow shelf zone of the Northern and Northern-Eastern part of the sea is a finny natural habitat of reproduction of fish and birds, the basis of which is a feed base consisting of hundreds of species of benthos organisms and tens species of plankton and sea bed algae. That is why nearly all species of fish inhabiting the Caspian Sea including sturgeon ones inhabit the sea in the delta of the Volga river and the Ural river.

More than half of all fish production of the country (excluding sturgeon caviar) is procured from in the Ural-Caspian basin and in the delta of the Volga river.

The isles of the Northern and Eastern part of the Caspian Sea Major are places of habitat of the Caspian seal. Millions of water birds inhabit wetlands and find temporary shelter here during migration and one third of them stay here for winter.

Currently there are some difficulties in the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea due to negative impact on environment including consequences of the sea level fluctuation, unsolved problems of environmental pollution of environment in the past years and current pollution, current degradation of ecosystems and extreme reduction of biological diversity and other factors.

The environmental situation in the region has become complicated first of all due to consequences of negative impact of man-caused activity.

Complication of the environmental situation makes negative impact on the living conditions of the population and medical and demographical situation in the region. It is necessary to undertake radical measure (interferences) with adequate financial input of the government.

The danger of major industrial accidents at oil and gas fields and the danger of major oil spills in the sea is increasing due to the growing amount of extraction of hydrocarbon on the shore and its increasing transportation and the start of exploration at the Caspian shelf.

Some environmental problems of the region are transboundary ones. In order to solve transboundary environmental problems by joint efforts of all Caspian states and international organizations the Republic of Kazakhstan is taking part in implementation of the Caspian Environmental Programme (CEP) for some years.

The countries signed the draft of the Global Environmental Facility “ Defining Transboundary Environmental Problems in the Caspian Environmental Programme“ and so undertook the commitments to implement the project by joint efforts.

To solve national and transboundary environmental problems the drafts of National Caspian Action Plans NCAP) were developed by the countries of the region with the financial support of international organizations.

The objective of the National Action Programme of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Enhancement of the Environment of the Caspian Sea for 2003-2012 (NCAP RK) is stabilization of environmental situation and enhancement of the environment of the Caspian Sea and the coast for providing sustainable living of the population.

It is supposed to undertake a number of perspective measures during ten years and to implement detailed concrete actions during the three last years.

The current draft NCAP of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a new one and it is supposed to implement it in the country on the basis of joining and coordinating the efforts of all concerned bodies including national and local authorities, private sector, the public, international donors and other bodies.

On the basis of NCAPs of the five countries draft Regional Strategic Action Plan (SAP) is being developed to implement it during the last ten years.

The activities under NCAP correspond to the Strategy of RK – 2010.

3. Analysis of the Current State of the Environment in the Region.

Major Environmental Problems (risks)

In the frames of implementation of the first phase CEP activities on Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the problems of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone have been done. In the process of development of TDA conducted with participation of international and national experts of CEP the following environmental problems of the region have been defined:

• Pollution of the costal zone and marine water, general aggravation of the state of the environment (transboundary and national).

• Desertification and degradation of the costal landscape, destruction of the costal areas and infrastructure (transboundary).

• Reduction of the store of bioresources including commercial fish species and sturgeon among them (transboundary and national).

• Threats to biodiversity as a whole (national and transboundary).

• Aggravation of human health (national).

• New problems. Pollution as a result of the activity of marine oil-and-gas extracting industry. Alien species (national and transboundary problems).

As it is well known the state of the Caspian Sea ecosystem depends much on the state of environment in the costal zone and environmental state of the rivers flowing into the sea. In the frames of implementation of CEP the costal zone is considered to be the costal line comprising the part of the land stretching for 100 km and costal waters stretching for 50 km.

The current state of environment in the costal zone of the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea is characterized by continuing degradation of nature habitat caused by a number of destabilizing factors including natural and anthropogenic ones.

3.1 Nature and climatic factors destabilizing the ecosystems of the costal zone.

Nature conditions of the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian region is characterized by sharp continental climate with hot droughty summer, comparatively cold winter and strong winds. Due to strong winds with frequent dust storms and poor plant covering of sand and clay, the soil up to 75% the territory of the costal zone of the Caspian Sea are exposed to wind erosion and desertification.

In the 80-es the tendency of strong desertification clearly recognized in the region (Map, 1985, Kurochkina,1990). To greatest extend landscape (ecosystem) destruction takes place in many regions of the coast and especially in the north and east. The process of salinization is continuing in the region. The territories of the Caspian oblasts of the country are also exposed to dust moving from the drying Aral Sea.

The process of desertification is facilitated by flooding of major costal territories with the square about 1,3 mln hectares, which was taking place during 1978-1996 due to the raising of the sea level for 2,5 m. The raising of the sea level results in rising of the level of the ground waters, which caused salinization of the soil of the costal zone.

Flooding and under flooding of the territories causes destruction of the costal zone, changes of areas, aggravation of animals and fish habitat, reduction of feed store. Te rising of the sea level results in silting of riverbeds and it makes obstacles for the fish moving to the places of natural spawning.

Flooding and under flooding has caused destruction of costal infrastructure, including different transport and line constructions, industrial sites, settlements, recreational and other objects.

During storms when the seashore slopes in the Caspian region, especially the Atyrau oblast are extremely low, the process of negative and positive setup is developing for tens km. inland. The costal zone of the North-Eastern part of the Caspian Sea may be considerably transformed even if there is a little change of the water level.

The negative and positive setup causes throwing fish, benthos and plants on the seashore and destruction of bioresources. There is one more danger from the positive setup when the marine water is flooding the costal oil fields and then when the setup is negative the water moves wastes and other pollutants into the sea.

The process of desertification of costal territories is facilitated by considerable impact of anthropogenic factors related to over pasturing, storage of wormwood and forage crops, untimely mowing, storage of shrubs and sub shrubs and the factors related to chemical pollution of soil by oil as well, man-caused impact while drilling and construction of different line structures, making quarries, unsystematic building of roads when geological-and-exploring activities are conducted and heavy boring machines are transported through places without roads.

3.2. Anthropogenic factors of destabilization of the costal zone. Historical pollution and degradation of the environment.

Land pollution. General environmental situation in the Caspian region is characterized by combination of pollution of soil, air, surface and ground water bodies and pollution of bottom sediments of the sea and organisms of biological resources of the sea.

Major amount of pollution and degradation of the environment in the Caspian oblasts is caused by the activity of mining, oil-and-gas processing, energy and chemical industries, transport and municipal economy and agriculture and fishery.

For a long period of extraction and transportation of hydrocarbon raw materials the total square of lands polluted by oil in the Western Kazakhstan has become about 194 thousand of hectares; the volume of the spilled oil is about 5 mln. tons and the major amount of it is the Caspian oblasts. According to the studies the depth of oil-and-chemical pollution of soil at oil fields is from some centimeters to several meters. Salinity of soil and the process of desertification takes places on oil-polluted lands.

Air pollution. The air is polluted by stationary and mobile sources. However the greatest impact is made by gas flaring at oil fields.

Hundreds of milliards of cubic meters of gas were flared by enterprises of oil-and-gas sector during the whole period of their functioning. Currently gas flaring is continuing. Annual amount of flared gases is 100 mln. cubic meters.

Carcinogenic hydrocarbons and other hazardous substances discharged at flaring pollute the air and are transferred for long distances making negative impact on soil and surface water, plants and animals and human health.

According to monitoring data for the last three years the process of absorbing of transferred acid atmospheric pollutants by surface waters is going on. It results in acidification of marine water. Acidification of water cause changes of the conditions of marine organisms habitat. Such kind of effect was registered along the Tengiz oil-and-gas field. Except negative factors, as a result of gas flaring at oil fields and emergency discharges, the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan loses annually and irretrievably about 700 mln. m ³ of gas.

As for mobile sources the greatest damage for air is made by motor transport. Exhausts containing lead compounds when leaded petrol is used makes damage for environment and human health. The air is polluted by evaporation of the oil spilled on the ground.

Industrial wastes. One of the major and unsolved environmental problems in the region is accumulation of industrial wastes and lack of utilization and processing of them. According to the data more than 200 mln. tons of industrial wastes is accumulated on the territory of the Mangystau oblast and more than 100 mln.of which are toxic ones. Just on one Tengiz oil-and-gas field in Atyrau oblast about 7 mln. tons of lump sulphur have been accumulated and it is kept under the open air polluting the environment.

Vast suburban territories around the cities of the Atyrau and Mangustau oblasts are dumped with industrial and municipal wastes. According to the official statistic data thousand tons of industrial wastes are accumulated annually in the Caspian oblasts and part of them are toxic ones.

Radioactive wastes. The salts of radioactive substances along with hydrocarbon wastes pollute oil fields. In the districts of ownerless quarries of uranium ore mining and around the unendorsed stores of radioactive materials in Aktau city there is a higher level of radiation.

Currently in the stores of hard and liquid radioactive wastes (RAW) of reactor facility on fast neutrons (PY БН-350) RGE “Mangyshlaksky Atomny Combinat” (MAK) in Atyrau city more than ten thousand tons of hard and liquid RAW with the activity of 144466 curie are kept which make threat to the environment of the Caspian Sea to be polluted by radionuclids and heavy metals.

The lands make serious danger for human health and plants and animals adjacent to the territory of the Azgyrsky site (Galit) polluted by radionuclids and heavy metals where nuclear tests were carried out in the previous years. The rocket propellants products and fragments of missiles for hundred kilometers pollute the territory around the missile site «Taisogan». Hard demographic situation has been created in the adjacent to the sites districts.

3.3 Pollution of Water Resources and the Caspian Sea

Ground water pollution. Penetration of oil into the ground results in pollution of subsoil and groundwater. Major pollution of ground water takes place when the strata water is repumped. Since the beginning of functioning of oil fields along with oil more than 1 mlrd. m ³ of strata water containing oil products (including radioactive ones) and heavy metals were extracted.

For this period millions of cubic meters of untreated strata water were repumped into ground water lines at oil fields. The strata water pollutes ground waters and makes threat for ground waters connecting with the Caspian water area to be polluted by oil products.

The pollution of the Caspian Sea and the costal zone. The greatest potential threat for the Caspian ecosystem is made by oil fields, which are located in the zone of flooding and under flooding as a result of sea level fluctuation. According to different assessment the total amount of flooded wells in the Caspian oblasts is more than six hundred ones, about one hundred of the wells are ownerless, which do not belong to any mineral users.

Tower armatures of the wells are exposed to the impact of the marine water and drifting of ice. The constructions of conservations (tower armatures) of many wells are physically outdated and the terms of temporary conservation service have been expired. In water-and-bog conditions it is difficult to define the quality state of the wells. For this reason there is a constant threat of leakage of hydrocarbon from the wells and spills into the sea. In January 2001at one of the oilfields (“Tazhigaly”)there was a leakage of oil simultaneously from two wells.

Oil products coming into the sea are accumulated at bottom sediments and make negative impact on their ichtioflora and fauna. According to environmental audit at Northern Zharanbas oilfields 1 kg. of bottom sediments at flooded oil wells contains up to 50 grams of hydro carbon and the level of water pollution in the area of wells several times exceeds limited allowable concentration (LAC).

The level of marine water pollution by oil products for the last years was 0,07-0,21 mg/l (1-4 LAC). The concentration of phenol in the northeast Caspian Sea was 0,003-0,009 mg/l (3-9 LAC), СПАВ – 0,008-0,029 mg/l (1-3 LAC). Almost constantly chlorine-and-organic pesticides are contained in the water. The most polluted districts are seaside of the Ural river and zone of direct flowing from the Volga river.

Pollution from the flows of the rivers. Different chemical fertilizers, which are used in agriculture near the basins of the Ural and the Volga rivers annually, come into the sea with river flows. Among them pesticides such as hexaclorocyclohexane, DDT and other persistent organic pollutants are hazardous for bioresources of the sea.

Ions of heavy metals come to the sea from the Upper Ural river. The concentration of them is 4-12 time more than LAC. In years when the water is shallow up to 80% of phosphorus of anthropogenic character come into the sea. Anthropogenic biogenic flows formed mainly due to organic fertilizers and wastewaters. Considerable amount of organic fertilizers and biogenic substances comes into the sea with the flow of the Volga river.

Accumulation of organic substances in the bottom sediments of the sea causes euthrophication of the Caspian Sea waters. The process of euthrophication causes great reduction of dissolves oxygen (hypoxia) and as a result of it there is deficit of oxygen in the upper layer of water. In the zones of hypoxia of a number of feed organisms, especially benthos is reduced and the square of fattening of commercial fish is reduced as well.

Waste waters and hazardous wastes. Toxic wastes of processing of uranium-containing and rare-earth ore are located in the “Koshkar- Ata” tailing of Aktau city at the distance of 5-6 km. from the Caspian Sea coast. The total amount of wastes including liquid and hard phase is about 355,8 mln.tons with the activity of 11242 curie. Lowering the level of the liquid phase with the total square of the tailing of 77squere km. resulted in stripping of one third of “beaches” and hazardous wastes from these areas are exposed to dusting.

Due to transfer of dust by wind radionuclids, heavy metals and other hazardous chemical elements are transferred to the adjacent territory and to the city and the Caspian Sea as well. Underground unloading of polluted waters is a threat to ground and marine waters.

One of the sources of environmental tension making potential threat to the Caspian Sea is wastewater at sedimentation tank “Tuhlaya Balka” in Atyrau city. Currently about 50-70 mln. cubic m. of heavy polluted liquid wastes have been accumulated at filtration fields of the sedimentation tank. In the wastewaters there is a high concentration of chlorides, ammonium salts, sulfates, heavy metals (cuprum, zinc, chrome and others). For example, the concentration of oil products in the wastewaters is up to 200 LAC, phenol is up to 20 to 80 LAC.

Liquid wastes of the sedimentation tank are connected with the ground waters. In the periods of positive set up the distance from the sea to the sedimentation tank is considerably reduced.

As a whole the discharge of wastewaters on the relief in the district is a problem for many inhabited localities.

3.4 Analysis of the Current Environmental Situation.

Due to the planned economy of the past years the major part of pollution was accumulating. Currently it is unsolved problem of the region. The cause of the problem of historical pollution is the fact that the economy of that period was aimed at fulfillment of the growing planned amount of extraction of natural resources and amount of produces goods when the issues of environmental protection were not considered as urgent ones and were not of priority.

On the other hand accumulation of hazardous industrial wastes, pollution and general aggravation of the quality of the environment took place due to application of outdated noncompetitive technology, insufficient environmental knowledge of the leaders and factory personnel and due to the lack of public awareness.

The current environmental situation is the consequence of the lack of nature protection legislation and control by the state in the past years. However, in spite of the corresponding state nature protection structures created in the country during for the period of more than the last ten years and nature protection legislation and normative-and-legal acts, which were adopted they did not manage to eliminate the pollution of the last years.

Currently due to imperfection of the legislation and regulating normative-and-legal mechanisms the pollution and degradation of the environment is continuing. Imperfection of the current legislation is confirmed by a number of examples and facts. During economic reforms and mass privatization of enterprises, considerable part of historical pollution doesn’t belong to enterprises-polluters. It belongs to the state. The legislation doesn’t stimulate elimination of the pollution of the past years and the nature users of the region are not interested in dealing with this problem. Currently, in spite of the legislation the pollution of the environment is going on.

The existing legal and economic mechanisms of nature use doesn’t influence the nature polluters in considerable way and are not restraining economic instruments preventing pollution of the environment. The amount of penalties is to little to compensate of the damage, which has been made.

Judging by practice, it is easier for the nature users to pay penalties for the damage than to eliminate the pollution of the environment. Such kind of practice is caused by the fact that the norms for environmental penalties are much lower the real cost of the recovery work.

It took place because of fact that during the period of hyperinflation of penalty norms for environmental pollution in the Caspian oblasts were indexed formally one time a year without taking into account the real level of inflation. Due to inadequate indexation the penalty norms approximately 10-15 times have lost their significance for full compensation of damage made to environment or recovery works.

In effective use of the Fund of Environmental Protection specially created for solution of environmental problems, made obstacle for elimination of the pollution of the past years. The major part of the Funs was not used for this purpose.

Analysis of the use of the Fund shows that environmental payments of the total sum of 4,0 mlrd. tenge were allocated to the Fund by nature uses of two Caspian oblasts for the last ten years. In spite of that only 30% of this amount were allocated to the nature bodies from the budget and only half of it was used for implementation of concrete nature protection activities.

Such nature users as oil and other industrial companies, agricultural and fishing enterprises, agencies for organization of use of land and others should be interested in enhancement of environmental situation. Decreasing of environmental quality makes negative effect on social sphere as well.

Considerable pollution and degradation of the costal zone of the sea shows there is a lack of balanced planning of economic and nature protection activity in the costal zone of the region. This is a consequence of insufficient nature protection norms and requirements aimed at complex management of the costal zone.

For implementation of integrated planning and management in the costal zone it is necessary to coordinate the activity of industrial companies, agencies of management of agriculture, water resources, health care, social and economical and other services. Nature protection agencies should play coordinating part in complex management of the costal zone. However currently there is no purposeful activity between separate structures of nature protection agencies for consistent solution of the problems of the costal zone in the oblasts. Implementation of such kind of activity for the nearest years is not planned.

The current situation dictates the necessity of perfection of then activity of nature protection structures functioning in the Caspian oblasts. A number of reforms on perfection of governmental bodies of nature protection bodies mainly resulted in reduction of a number of staff at oblasts departments of environmental protection without cardinal changes of their activity.

At the same time instead of liquidated Funds of Environmental Protection, departments on environmental protection which duplicate the activity of the existing oblast departments of environmental protection in many cases. It would be reasonable to formulate for these structures a range of new targets aimed at management of costal zone.

3.5 The state of biological diversity and tendency of its changes.

The unique biodiversity of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone comprises water species and costal species, which make inseparably linked ecosystem.

3.5.1 Water species consist of species of bacterial plankton, phyto plankton, water plants, animal plankton, bottom sediments fauna, ichtyofauna and birds.

As any natural body the Caspian Sea is a sensitive balanced system of different species. However it is as all inland systems is exposed to a greater extend to different risks if to compare them with the ecosystems of the open seas and oceans. Decrease of the amount of animal plankton, foe example may cause reduction of the amount of sprat and that may cause reduction of the amount of sturgeon and Caspian seals as feed for them, and the fluctuation of the sea level may cause the changes of the amount of half passing fish.

Ichtiofauna of the Caspian Sea according to different data comprises fron 76 up to 126 species and sub species of fish and Cyclostomata. Directly the sea and the deltas of the rivers are inhabited by no less than 76 species and 47 sub species related to 17 families; 14 species were acclimatized: small flounder, three species of salmon, eel, gray mullet, gambusia, anchovy like sprat and scomber.

Other two species – the pipe fish and Atherinidae invaded the sea by themselves. The most different families are bullhead, carp, herring and sturgeon. The majority of species are animal eaters and feed mainly by animal plankton, benthos, smaller fish, many of them have mixed feed.

Fish resources. In the 20-40 ies of the last century the commercial was lamprey, the Volga herring, Caspian salmon, white fish. The total amount of catch of them in the Caspian basin was about 80 thousand tons. Currently they are registered in the Red book of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other Caspian states. It is supposed to include the Ural population of sterlet in the Red book of RK as well.

Commercial species traditionally are sturgeon, fine-mesh and marine.

There are 5 species of sturgeon in Kazakhstan: white fish, Russian sturgeon, sturgeon, sterlet. The four of them is passing fish, sterlet is a river fish. All species of sturgeon spawn in the Ural River.

The sturgeon species are of great consumer value in the world market. The meat of sturgeon and its products is of great demand in the world. Its caviar or “black gold” is a valuable product in all markets of the world. Market cost of caviar is changing from 35 to 75 dollars for ounce. It depends on the type of the sturgeon and the source of sale (TDA, 2002). Due to this the sturgeon is an attractive product not only for industry but for poachers as well.

However the catch of fish including sturgeon reduced to several times for the last years. Sharp reduction of sturgeon store directly connected with the environment, reduction of areas of natural spawning, insufficient protection and poaching. Except that pathological changes in the liver, spleen, muscular tissue causes braking of reproductive capacity of sturgeon.

Fine-mesh. Half passing half passing species are vobla, pike perch, sazan, bream, жерех. The rest species (cat-fish, pike, red-eye, perch and so on) are not numerous. If to compare with the 3-50 ties the catch of fine-fish reduced for 3-4 times due to the changes of hydrological regime of the rivers and water level fluctuation.

However reduction of catch takes place not because of reduction of commercial store of fine-mesh but most likely lack of sufficient commercial demand for this fish. All the efforts of fish catching organizations and are made for catching the most valuable product – the surgeon. Factors of environmental pollution of the half passing species should be investigated.

Marine species. Sprat is major marine fish specie, the biomass of which is 2 times higher than the rest species. Application of fish pumps at the beginning of 60 ies raised catch of sprat. In Kazakhstan the catch increased from 12 up to 40-45 thousand tons. However in 1995 the catch of sprat reduced to 10 thousand tons.

Reduction of catch of sprat in the Caspian Sea takes place due to outdated fish catching fleet and sharp reduction of feed store of sprat – plankton. In June - July 2001 destruction of sprat took place everywhere in the Caspian Sea. The negative impact of Mnemiopsis on the feed base of sprat should be investigated. (TDA, 2002).

Spawning grounds in the Ural-and-Caspian region is one of the major sources of increase of natural reproduction of different fish species. More than 50 species of fish come here for spawning and 22 of them are of commercial value.

Due to regulation of rivers spawning sturgeon of the Volga reduced up to 0.4 thousand hectares. Natural spawning of beluga, white fish and passing herring reduced nearly for 100%, spawning of Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon reduced for 60%.

In the 1930-1935 major fish spawning grounds were located in the flood-lands of the Ural river for more than 1500 km. with the square of 35,5 thousand hectares, in the middle of the 1970 ies the area of them reduced up to 16 thousand hectares. In 1994 natural spawning store of the sturgeon in the Ural River was 922,5 hectares, and only 43 places of 70 ones can be used for producers. Reduction of areas of natural spawning is caused with flooding of the delta of the Ural River.

Industrial reproduction. Currently the major source of increase of the sturgeon store along with natural spawning, currently the major source of sturgeon store are the Ural-and-Arytau and the Aryrau fish farms (MFF), which are in operation since 1998. 22,2 mln. young fish were moved into the Ural river for the period 1098-2001. Notwithstanding this fact Kazakhstan considerably lags behind from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

There are some problems at the fish farms related to lack of recommendations based on research on farm reproduction of sturgeon.

Commodity sturgeon breeding. The young sturgeon fish moved into the sea by two sturgeon farms may be used as commodity only in 10-15 years. In spite of sharp reduction of catching of sturgeon in the Ural and Caspian basin attention has not been paid to the perspective issue in the country – breeding of sturgeon in the ponds, corfs and basin installations - to meet the demand for the sturgeon.

Concerning this there is positive experience in the neighboring Russian Federation and a special program was adopted and from year to year the commodity production of sturgeon is increased. Just during the year 2000 2000 tons of sturgeon was produced and it is several times more than the annual amount of sturgeon catch in this country.

Commercial bioresources of the Caspian Sea are of great economic value. Many fish species and crawfish, seals and others are used for commercial purposes.

The Caspian seal – is the only mammal that inhabits the Caspian Sea. Separate individuals or non-great schools inhabit all the area of the sea all the year round and in autumn and winter they inhabit the northern and eastern part of the sea. Its main feed is bullheads and sprats and as for valuable commercial fish such as vobla, herring, pikeperch and others – they are of secondary importance for them.

The seal is a commercial animal. White coats and skins of seals and fat is of great value. In spite of the fact that due to economical reasons and lack of sustainable market catch of seal has stopped for the last years, the number of it is constantly decreasing. At the beginning of the last century the total number of the seals was about 1 mln. heads and at the beginning of 2000 it is 415-435 thousand of heads.

In 2000 more than 15000 seals died in the Caspian Sea. The major part of it died in the Northern Caspian Sea near Kazakhstan (more than 10000). Great level of contamination caused mass death of the animals. Virus of “dog’s distemper" was a one more reason of it along with the continuous impact of the polluted environment on the organism for many years. Highly concentrated PCB, DDT, chlordane, HCB and some heavy metals (for example zinc) were found in then organisms of the seals, which influence their prolificacy and physiological functions.

The seal plays important role among the biodiversity of the Caspian Sea (TDA, 2002). However it is necessary to note that the research of the Caspian seal is not sufficient.

Crawfish and Sea-shells are of commercial value as well. Artemia is a commercially valuable resource and is of high cost abroad and international market capacity. For the last years it was caught in the bay Kaidak. There is capacity to produce it in the Ural-and-Caspian basin.

Birds. There are the most important bird migration ways in the region of then Caspian Sea. Wetlands of the Northern Caspian are a reservoir for water birds, nesting, moulting and mass migration. Currently there are 278 species of birds and 110 of them nests, 76 winters and 92 fly pass. The populations of birds are sensory to sea level fluctuation and changes of river flows during seasons and a year.

Protection of fish store and regulation of fishing. In order to conserve biological diversity of the unique ecosystem of the Northern Caspian Sea and especially sturgeon species the area of the eastern part of the Northern Caspian Sea including the deltas of the Volga and the Ural river was announced a reserve zone with a special status and regime of protection by the resolution of the Government of RK. The adjacent borderline with Russia is also a reserve zone and that is why the territory of the Northern Caspian is considered to be a reserve one.

According to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “on protection, reproduction and use of animals” catching of sturgeon in the Ural and Caspian basin is limited according to the limits which are annually adopted by the resolution of the Government of RK based on recommendation resolution of the International Commission on distributing of water bioresources of the Caspian Sea. The Commission annually distributes the quotas on catching transboundary bioresources (sturgeon, sprat and seal) between the Caspian countries.

In 1999 the country acceded the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and the sturgeon is included into it. Kazakhstan takes part in implementation of the Convention and fulfills the commitments on export of sturgeon.

However, in spite of the existing laws and resolutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan the issues of protection, reproduction and use of animals remain unsolved. The major ones are braking of nature protection legislation and poaching. The fish store is extremely decreasing and poaching makes great damage to it and is a major threat of destruction of sturgeon.

In order to combat poaching the units of fish protection in the Ural and Caspian basin annually during the spawning of sturgeon jointly with nature protection and customs bodies, frontier service of RK and the inspectors of fish protection of the Russia Federation on protection of sturgeon in the frontier river Kigach and near the estuary of the Ural river conduct wide range action “the sturgeon”.

In spit of the measures undertaken by fish protection bodies the have not managed to extirpate poaching due to weak equipment of fish protection bodies and lack of financial and material resources allocated to these bodies.

Irrational fishing makes great damage to fish resources as well. The rules of fishing are not observed on the Ural and Kigach (Volga) rivers, specially defined places have not been defined and amateur and sport fishing are not regulated. In spite of prohibition the river beds around Atyrau city and on the whole length of them and obstructed fish cordage and other barrier constructions, which prevent the move of fish and cause sitting of the river.

Hundreds of off take facilities located at the Ural and Kigach rivers doubtlessly absorb considerable amount of young fish and make harm to reproduction of fish resources.

3.5.2 Costal species

Plants within 100 hundred line of the Caspian Sea comprise 43 formations and 500 species. Introduction of alien species of relict plants in the ecosystem of the cost, including introduction of lotus – nuts (Welunbo nuciferum) and water nut (Trapa natas) has positive effect but the populations are not sustainable and sensitive to outer impact. The flora of costal species is not great and comprises 25 endemic species in Kazakhstan and 6 of them are registered in the Red Book.

The costal zone is characterized by different meadow plants, bushes (Salix alda, Tamarix ramesissima and others) and motley grass, Calamagrostis Ipigeios, Phragmitis australis, couch-grass (Elymus repens), halopytic-motkey-grass. On the land there are mostly wormwoods and other species, which are characteristics of brown salted and brackish soils.

75 species of animals and plants inhabiting the Caspian Sea and its cost registered in the Red Book of RK. The following are among them: 6 land and 6 water plant species, 20 species of insects, 5 species of fish, 2 species of reptiles, 31 species of birds and 5 species of mammals.

In the Northern Caspian and its costal zone there are 260 species of birds and 120 of which are nesting ones, 68 of them are wintering and 72 migrating. Among ornithofauna 36 species are registered in the Red Book of Kazakhstan, including such species as pink and furry pelican, yellow Egyptian and small heron, spoon-bill, marmoreal teal, white tail pewit, blackhead, osprey, sea-eagle, white-tail and others.

As a whole the flora and fauna of the Caspian region is studied rather poorly. That is why there is no sufficient data on rare and endangered on many species (phyto plankton, animal plankton and benthos fauna and flora).

Rare and endangered landscapes. Among higher water plants there are such rare and endangered species that inhabit only the Northern Caspian and no any other places.

On the coast there are 21 major landscape marine plains and costal plain, alluvial and alluvial–and- atmogenic plain and structural plateau raised plains, lowlands, river valleys.

There are nine natural bioresources groups of ecosystems, including objects of global importance. They are areas of rare species and species of sand wattles (Ammodendron lichvaldii, A.connollyi), habitat of endemic and rare species of saltwort (Salsola chivensis) and madder (Rubia cretacea), endemics of Mangyshlak: wormwood, feather grass (Stipa pseudocapillata) and others.

The following relict flora and fauna habitat is of this category as well: the mountain range Aktau, peninsula Tubkaragan with flora relict soft fruit (Mabacocarpus crithmofblius), landscapes with rare species of Saxaul Leman, landscapes – habitat of threatened species – rare ravines, wetlands and meadow landscapes of the coast, flood lands and valleys of the rivers, damp lowlands in the sands. Six species of rare and threatened plant species are registered in the Red Book of Kazakhstan (the Red Book,… 1981).

Among the species to be protected in the Caspian region are critically threatened - madder (Rubia cretacea), threatened – Aldrovanda vesiculosa, among sensitive – Linaria cretaceae (National Strategy…, 1999). Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a water plant which grows in the Ural river, Rubia cretacea and Linaria cretaceae – on the chalk places and on the banks of the rivers Emba and Usturt.

Fauna of the coast is in the state of destruction. Destabilizing destruction of the ecosystems is characterized by reduction of a number of mammals, birds and insects pollinators. There are cases of substitution of economically useful species for species – pests in agriculture. A number of species of negative veterinary and medical effect is increasing including insects and rodents.

Due to greatly deserted and destructed ecosystems of oil fields, quarries and different line constructions rodent fleas spreading plague diseases considerably expanded.

On the changed landscapes the density of population of reptiles is increasing and a number of big mammals is greatly decreasing. A number of birds on nests is decreasing for 2 times.

Land mammals. Fauna of mammals of Kazakhstan coast of the Caspian Sea and adjacent territories comprises 56 species (31,5% of total composition of Teri fauna of Kazakhstan) (The Book of Genetic Fund of the Fauna of the Kazakh SSR, 1989; the Red Book of Kazakhstan, 1996).

As to the number of rodents- there are 15 species and 8 of them are carriers and bearers of human and animal diseases.

A group of predatory mammals comprises 14 species and the majority of them are objects for hunting (wolf, korsac, raccoon like dog, jackal, steppe cat, fox, weasel, steppe polecat. During the last century such kind of predators as cheetah and the Caspian tiger vanished.

Small mammals are practically removed from the zone of periodical flooding of the cost of the Caspian Sea and in the industrial zone due to desertification and pollution of habitat these animals are met very rarely (less than 1 animal per hectare).

Protection of land commercial bioresources is carried out according to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “on Protection, Reproduction and use of Animals”.

To protect rare and endangered species of animals and plants in the costal zone Ustuyrtsky reserve and Aktay –Buzachinsky and Karagiye-karakolsky state reserve are established in the Mangustay oblast.

In the eastern part of the Volga delta in the aturay oblast there is Novinsky reserve with the general square 45 thous. hecrates and between the Volga and the Ural rivers there is Shortanbaisky reserve.

In the Mangustay oblast Kenderly – Kaiyasanskaya reserve zone is newly established with the square of the territory 1 mln. 231 thous. hectares. It serves for conservation of the unique paleonthlogical sediments, monuments of history and culture.

3.5.3 Analysis of the problem of biodiversity conservation

1. Reduction of the store of commercial bioresources.

A. Short introduction of the problem. This problem is one of the major problems in the region due to aggravation and reduction of the habitat, nature pollution and destruction of then costal areas, extreme use of biological resources and as well as desertification and degradation of the costal landscape and poaching.

TDA defines loss of biodiversity as a whole. Facilitation of anthropogenic process contributes to this. Process of desertification is expected to comprise: land and plant degradation, death of birds and animals, especially rare species, loss of rare landscapes and reduction of areas of transboundary species. Negative changes of composition of flora are evident when the soil- and-ground regime will be broken (salination, pollution and erosion), productivity, capacity of restoration.

It is necessary to clarity experts assessment of the land ecosystem within of the costal line of 100 km, because there is no quality data of changes of the species.

B. Confirmation data.

In the Ural- Caspian basin the maximum catch of fish of the amount of 93,6 thous. tonn was in 1932 (S.Kazhenbayev, 1968) in the 70-80 ies of the last century the catch was 50-70 thous, tons and in 2000 – 21,7 thous. tons.

In the 30-60 the catch of the Caspian salmon, lamprey and white fish was about 80 tonns per year. However beginning from the second half of the 50 ies there were no salmons in commercial catch at all.

At the end of the 90ies the catch of sturgeon sharply reduced, to 8 thous.. tons in the 70ies and to 0,23 thous. tons in 2000.

If the square of the main places of spawning in the flood-lands of the Ural river in the 1930-1935 was 35,0 thous. hectares and by the middle of 1970 it reduced to 16 thous. hectares and in 1994 the natural spawning fund of sturgeon in the Ural river was only 0,923.

Sharp reduction of biological resources including sturgeon in the nearest future might result in full reduction of catch of sturgeon and caviar in the Caspian Sea. The damage from loss of this kind of product may be about 1 mln. dollars and the share of this country is about 14,0 mln. USD.

That is why conservation of gene pool of sturgeon and biological species diversity of the Caspian Sea is an extremely important task.

Reduction of the amount of other commercial of species is taking place as well. From the beginning of the 20th century the amount of the population of the seal in the Caspian reduced from 1 mln. heads and by the end of the 90 ies to 350-400 thous. heads.

Pollution of the sea by heavy metals (chrome, mercury, lead, zinc, nickel, cuprum) of high concentration the Atyrau district and Astakhan and by pesticides ( DDT,DDE and chlorine organic pesticides oil products and phenols makes hazardous impact on organisms.

Through the system of trophic connections these substances penetrate in the organisms of marine and land animals. Toxic compounds of high concentration are found in muscular tissue, liver and caviar of fish and in organisms of seals and birds as well. Hazardous substances cause destruction of tissues and organs of animals, different symptoms in organisms of animals. Accumulation of pesticides and other hazardous substances in organisms of seals resulted in barrenness of she seals and it caused reduction of their fertility.

The other destabilizing factor, which caused reduction of biodiversity store, is irrational use or over use (over fixed quotas) of biological resources. In the near past during the period of planned economy fulfillment and over fulfillment of the plans on extraction of biological resources was legally encouraged. The problem of reduction of biodiversity store was not defined.

Currently the planned amount of extraction of commercial bioresources is reduced, however poaching has been increased and it makes great damage especially for the store of the sturgeon in the period of their spawning. The amount of this damage is hardly to be defined. According to some data it is considered that the amount of fish caught by poachers in the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea is three times more than the limit for the extraction of sturgeon. At the same time according to the data of Russian specialists it is considered that annual amount of illegal fishing in the sea is about ten times more than the official amount of extraction. However, without any doubt extraction of caviar by poachers makes irrevocable damage for the sturgeon store and due to this specie is on the point of vanishing.

Among the land commercial animals there is reduction of species, for example saiga. For the last 20 years the amount of it reduced to ten times. Reduction of the amount of heads is taking place among other animals as well.

Rare and endangered species of mammals (kozhanok Bobrinskogo, perevyazka, dzheiran, ustyurtskiy mountain sheep and koulan) inhabiting the coast of the Kazakhstan part of the Sea are registered in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan and needed to be protected. Currently there are less than 20 thous. Heads of dzheirans, less than 5,5 thous. Heads of ustyurtskiy mountain sheep and as for the rest species in the region there are less of them than that.

As a result of irrational nature use (over pasturing and degradation of pastures, cutting of trees and bushes for heating) and economical activity destabilization of many ecosystems have taken place including traditional places of nesting and migration ways of many species of birds – yellow Egypt heron, red craw goose, white head goose.

Development of oil and gas makes especially strong impact on the biota. Near the boarder of oil deposits of the Northern –and- Eastern part of the Caspian sea the number of birds is ten times less than in natural landscapes and in the ground barns of oil hundreds of birds are perishing.

Operation “Trap” is conducted by protection services every year to protect land commercial animals and prevention of poaching.

In spite of the undertaken measures the institutions for protection animals and plants have not succeeded in extirpating poaching. The services have constant difficulties related to transport and combustive-lubricating materials. The salary of inspectors and hunters is very low.

Nature protection services do not make inventory of the state of animals and plants and the monitoring for the state of biological resources as well. The amount of financial resources located to nature protection institutions is not sufficient. Due to this reason they cannot establish full control of the vast specially protected areas.

Imperfection of regulatory -and- legal basis of nature resources use and mechanisms of regional cooperation on regulating legal basis makes negative impact on biodiversity conservation.

According to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “ on Especially Protected Nature Areas” (EPNA) dated 15 June 1997 N 162-1 issues related to use and observing the regime of protection of EPNA and rehabilitation activities have to be in the charge of especially authorized central executive body in the sphere of environmental protection.

However in august 2002, when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection had been restructured, these functions were delivered to the state body which doesn’t have special authorities on environmental protection.

II. Potential threats for biodiversity. The main threats (risks) for biological diversity of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone are degradation of marine and costal habitat as a result of natural and anthropogenic factors.

Natural factors are climatic changes in the water collecting basis which cause the raising of the sea level and flooding of vast costal territories, further reduction of spawning, shoaling of the rivers Ural, Kigacha and Emba, destruction of the migration way of animals, desertification in the costal zone, increasing the number of predatory animals and others.

Anthropogenic factors are regulation of the river flow, over catching of commercial bioresources, fishing of sturgeon in the sea and poaching, increasing of concentration of polluted waters and euthrophication of the sea and as well as reduction of the feeding store and major destruction of bioresources.

The status of “ State Reserve Zone in the Northern Part of the Caspian Sea” and the regime of protection is defined by the law of the republic of Kazakhstan “On Especially protected natural areas” (15.07.97), article 48. Main designation of the zone is protection of sturgeon and places of their fattening and spawning. Within the reserve zone it is prohibited to conduct any economic activity except fishing and limited navigation. However in 1993 according to the resolution of the government it was allowed to conduct oil development activities and boring in the Northern-and- eastern part of the Caspian Sea observing special environmental requirements.

Currently it is difficult to define the possibility and the scale of the future environmental risks from development of hydrocarbon resources of the shelf of the Caspian Sea. However it is not difficult to imagine that while developing and transporting hydrocarbon resources on the shelf when there is high inner bed pressure there is a possibility of emergency oil spills and hydrocarbon discharges. That means that there always will be the threat of new pollution of the water area and the costal zone. The closed and internal-drainage reservoir being shoaling will accumulate new pollution.

Except that construction activities of the shelf will cause destruction of migratory ways of water bioresources including fish, seals and water birds. Such kind of situation will considerably increase man-caused load on habitat of bioresiurces of the sea and will cause catastrophic changes of the sea ecosystem.

Great threat for biological diversity comes from alien species. They can not only occupy environmental space of the original species but can cause diseases and have predatory features threatening commercial species.

III. Introduced species and introduction of alien species.

Introduction of alien species and organisms is rather dangerous not only for conservation of the endemic complexes but for commercial use of these resources as well. During the last years the species are introduced through man’s interference and by chance.

Some animal species and plants have acclimatized in the Caspian Sea and widely settled and developed displacing the original species. The Far east salmon, herbivorous fish including grey mullet and other species invaded the sea during some years.

The introduced species: phytoplankton – 6 species, zooplankton – 7 species, hydroids –2, zoobenthos – 12, fish – 17, land mammals –3 species (TDA, 2002).

Casual movement of Mnemiopsis Leidyi with ballast waters may lead to unpredictable results. (TDA, 2002). Maximum biomass of Mnemiopsis Leidyi in summer 2001 on the North Caspian in the Iran waters is 2,1 kg per m ², in the waters of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan 1 kg per m². On the territory of the Kazakhstan part of the Sea Mnemiopsis Leidyi has not been found.

Mnemiopsis Leidyi was identified in the Caspian Sea during the last two years. Though there is no direct confirmation of decrease of the amount of zooplankton and sprat caused by Mnemiopsis Leidyi, however there is a great threat of it as Mnemiopsis Leidyi has devastated the feed store of the Black and the Azov Seas.

3.6 Social-and-economic Impact and State.

Environmental situation in the Caspian region influence social and economic impact on the population.

Notwithstanding the active development of the industry in the Caspian oblasts, a number of unsolved social problems remain each year. They are related to unemployment and poverty and aggravation of human health. Data on the gross output of the region per person in these oblasts are three times higher than average level in the country. At the same time the level of poverty in then region (data of 2000) is considerably higher than the average data in the country.

Further increase of the amount of oil-and-gas extraction will contribute to employment, increase of income per capita, development of the infrastructure and other social spheres of activity and as a whole will have positive impact on improvement of social and economical conditions in the region.

However, on the other hand negative factors of a large scale oil operations in the sea can cause industrial accidents, higher pollution of air and water, loss of commercial marine and land bioresources and further aggravation of health of the population of the costal zone. Aggravation of the health of population of the costal zone and loss of commercial bioresources may cause mass migration of the population.

To avoid the negative impact of the Tengiz oil-and-gas field the people of the village Karaton were moved to the village Zhana Karaton and partially in Atyrau. It is supposed to resettle the people from the village Sarykamis as well in the coming years as well.

Health of the population of the region has sharply aggravated for the last ten years, the dynamic of medical-and-demographical situation is extremely unfavorable. Characteristics of morbidity and mortality are increasing. Cancer diseases and diseases of blood, respiratory diseases, different infectious diseases 2-4 times exceed the national level.

The region is characterized by high level of tuberculosis in the country and among the Caspian states and high characteristics of infant mortality. There are cases of birth with abnormal deviation. The characteristics of mothers mortality are considerably higher the characteristics in the country and the countries of the region.

Morbidity of intestinal system is increasing in the Caspian oblasts. Morbidity of virus hepatitis increased 1.5 times in 2000 in comparison with 1999 as a consequences of deficit of drinking water and its poor quality.

The high level of morbidity of other socially considerable diseases: cardiovascular system, cancer diseases, diseases of genital system is remaining as before. The average life expectancy of the population is less than in other littoral states and it decreased from 70,5 to 58,7 years for men and to 69,3 for women.

Indices of human development (IHD) in the Caspian oblasts notwithstanding unsolved social problems is to some extend higher than in other regions of the country. According to the characteristics of IHD of the National report on human development in Kazakhstan for 2000 the regions of Kazakhstan occupy 38-102 place in the world.

IHD in the Atyrau and Mangystau oblasts (IHD within the limits 0.79 to 0.80) in comparison with Poland, Croatia, Seychelles, which occupied in 1998 45-53 place. This is the highest level of IHD in the country after Almaty (IHD is 0,828).

This characteristic was considerably influenced by two basic factors – level of literacy of grown-up population and high characteristic of IGO per capita due to rapid development of the industry in the region.

3.7 Causes-and-consequences Analysis of Environmental Problems of the Region.

In the process of TDA development the causes of transboundary and national problems of the Caspian region were defined. By ranging of these causes with wide involvement of the representatives of the ministries and units, local authorities, specialists and scientists and the public a number of primary causes were defined.

3.7.1 Primary causes of destruction and degradation of transboundary costal zone:

Natural nature-and –climatic causes:

1. Complex nature-and-climatic conditions (deserts, semi deserts, sharp continental climate)

2. Wind and water erosion, salinization of the soil.

3. Cyclic fluctuation of the sea level and periodic negative and positive set-up.

4. Lack of perfected system of forecasting, prevention and informing on negative and positive set-up and fluctuation of the sea level.

Anthropogenic causes:

1. Historical pollution and their secondary impact.

2. Outdated technologies applied for extracting, transportation and processing of natural resources.

3. Irrational land use (seasonal pasturing of cattle, over pasturing, loss of traditional distant-pastures).

4. Non regulated construction of automobile and other roads.

5. Lack of branch and national programmes on rehabilitation of polluted territories, processing and elimination industrial wastes.

6. Lack of financial resources allocated to enhancement of environment.

7. Imperfection of the current legal and regulatory documents on protection of the costal zone of the sea.

8. Lack of control of environmental situation in the costal zone.

9. Imperfection of the activity of the current nature protection management institutions.

10. Lack of perfect system of integrated planning and management of the costal zone.

11. Insufficient fulfillment of the requirements and commitments under international environmental conventions ratified by Kazakhstan.

12. Lack of the system of effective informing, training and involvement of the public into solution of environmental problems.

13. Lack of organized ecotourism, sports-and-amateur hunting and fishing.

2. Primary causes of pollution of water resources and the Caspian Sea

1. Accumulation of historical pollution near the water objects.

2. Secondary pollution from the impact of nature-and-climatic factors (while flooding, negative and positive set-up, raising of the level of the ground waters, impact of wind and others).

3. Pollution of the sea from the river flows.

4. Closed sea (lack of possibility of self cleaning) and accumulation of pollution.

5. Pollution of the sea due to oil operations in the shelf zone.

6. Application of imperfect (outdated) technologies and non taking of adequate measures on protection and rehabilitation of the environment.

7. Lack of state monitoring of water basin.

8. Lack of perfect system of forecasting, prevention of industrial accidents and informing about them.

9. Lack of investments for enhancement of the environment.

10. Imperfect legislative and normative-and-legal base (imperfection of the current normative-and- legal documents, insufficient norms of LAC, LAD).

11. Braking of environmental legislation and non sufficient control from environmental institutions.

12. Insufficient fulfillment of the requirements and commitments under international environmental conventions ratified by Kazakhstan.

13. Insufficient awareness of the public.

3.7.3 Primary causes of reduction of biodiversity.

The following primary causes were defined from the great number of causes of reduction of the gene pool of commercial bioresources in the process of TDA development:

1. Degradation of areas of habitat and reduction of the feed store;

2. Silting of the delta of the rivers Ural and Kigach and reduction of natural spawning;

3. Regulation of the river flows for water use and economic activity;

4. Low level of surviving of young sturgeon and destruction of fish at water inlets.

5. Destruction of migratory ways of fish, seals, birds and land animals.

6. Insufficient number of young sturgeon moved to the sea.

7. Lack of commodity production of sturgeon.

8. Lack of monitoring and non effective management of bioresouces.

9. Lack of defined value and significance of the bioresources of the Caspian Sea.

10. Insufficient scientific studies and developments, lack of agreed international research and programmes.

11. Over use of commercial bioresources (poaching and illegal fishing).

12. Braking of environmental legislation.

13. Imperfection of the current legislative and regulatory documents on protection of bioresources and the costal zone of the sea.

14. Insufficient special protected areas.

15. Insufficient control from the environmental institutions.

16. Insufficient fulfillment of the requirements and commitments under international

environmental conventions ratified by Kazakhstan.

17. Lack of international agreements on protection of the environment of the Caspian Sea.

18. Introduction of alien species (introduced species-Mnemiopsis).

19. Lack of environmental education and awareness of the public.

7. New environmental risks and threats.

Boring activity and extraction of oil on the shelf of the Caspian Sea may cause industrial accidents, discharges of hydrocarbon and oil spills. For example during testing of the well by OKIOC on the platform “Synkar” some oil was spilled when the jet was put out by wind.

Exploitation of major subsalt oil fields of Paleozoic oil (Carbon, Devonian) of the shelf with the extreme in-city conditions (up to 1100 atm.with the temperature 125-150 ⁰ C) and aggressive features (hydrocarbon up to 20-25 %) in case of spill and discharges of gas makes great risk of destroying factors for the ecosystems of the sea and its costal zone.

Disastrous situation around the well № 37 at “Tengiz” oil field, which was created in 1985 may be an example of that. They managed to put out the fire on the well only in a year. 3,5 mln.tons of oil, 1,7 mlrd. m ³ of gas including more than 500 thousand tons of hydrocarbon was burned for this period and about 900 thousand tons of soot was created. The concentration of sulphur dioxide at a distance of 45 km. of the well was up to 20 – 40 LAC, 100 km- 1 LAC, the radius of the negative impact of the oil-gusher on the environment was 300-350 km. Morbidity of population of the Zhylyoisky district of the Atyrau city increased approximately for 2,5 times more and many birds were destroyed.

Emergency situation on the shelf makes threat of disastrous pollution of the water and bottom sediments, decrease or destruction of feed reserve for the bioresources of the sea, poisoning and destruction of sea animals on large scale.

The most dangerous for the environment are used boring grouts and boring mud. Notwithstanding that discharge of such kind of wastes into the Caspian sea is prohibited about 38 thousand m³ of poorly treated communal and domestic waters containing oil, heavy metals and salts are discharged into the sea every day. As they have been accumulated in the marine water and bottom sediments the habitat of the marine animals can be poisoned.

Oil-and-gas operations at the sea cause higher intensity of movement, increase of level of noise, destruction of benthos and plankton species. Besides that dredging operations and installation of drilling rigs can destroy migration ways of fish. Such kind of impact is considerable for the places of great importance in the ecosystem (places of migration, fattening, habitat of endemic species).

Due to man-caused pollution there is a threat for the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea to be destroyed and the unique biodiversity of the sea and the land of the region to be vanished. According to the assessment of the specialists increasing the pollution of natural environment of the Northern Caspian Sea by oil for 10 LAC more cam cause disastrous changes of the ecosystem of the region.

Taking into consideration the urgent environmental situation any new pollution or deposition of low and medium radioactive wastes on the territory of the Caspian oblasts moved from abroad should be prohibited. Otherwise it will cause aggravation of environmental state in the region.

Threat of man-caused earthquakes. Seismic activity is not great in the Northern Caspian Sea and major earthquakes have not been registered, nevertheless, from tectonic point of view the border between the Middle and the Southern Caspian is more active. Echoes of the earthquakes at the Caucasus in the southern part of the sea reach the Northern Caspian, particularly the Tengiz oil field with the intensity of 1-2 degrees.

In the future as the Tengiz and other oil fields at the shelf of the Caspian Sea are in operation in case of breaking of the direct-current state of the bowels major man-caused earthquakes with discharges of hydrocarbon are possible. As it is well known, there were two major man-caused earthquakes at Zailyisky gas field in Turkmenistan.

Threat of introduction of alien species. Currently there is a great risk for the unique ichthyofaunaof the Caspian Sea to be invaded by alien aquatic life and pathogen from other regions of the world.

In 1999 specialists from the institute CaspNIRH discovered for the first time in the Northern Caspian Mnemiopsis leidyi-, the feed of which is zooplankton, caviar and fish larva. Due to introduction of this Ctenophora in the Black and the Azov Sea the biomass of zooplankton and sprat has considerably reduced. It is supposed that Mnemiopsis leidyi is a the northern Atlantic organism and moved to the Caspian Sea with ballast waters through the Volga-Don canal.

In future this Ctenophora can cause a serious problem for fish resources and that is why it makes real threat for the biodiversity of the Caspian Sea. Increase of biomass of the Ctenophora in the waters of Azerbaijan and Iran (report of Kidy and others, 2001) caused decrease of biodiversity of zooplankton, the situation is the same as it was in the Black Sea. Mnemiopsis leidyi can influence the feed store and destroy the feed chain and habitat of bioresources.

4. Strategic Objectives and Targets of the Programme

The National Action Programme of RK on Enhancement of the Environment of the Caspian Sea for 2003-2012 is being developed with the purpose of solution of major environmental problems in the region.

The objectives of the National Action Programme of RK on Enhancement of the Environment of the Caspian Sea for 2003-2012 (further The National Action Programme) have been defined with taking into account the objectives and priorities of Strategic Plan of development of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period till 2030. The objective of the «Strategy – 2030» is reduction of aggravation of the environment, and the priorities – establishment of the effective system of management of nature use and protection of the environment, establishment of the basis for balanced nature resources use and environmental awareness.

NCAP is developed in accordance with international environmental conventions ratified by Kazakhstan.

The Programme corresponds to the priorities of CEP, which are agreed with all the littoral states according to GEF project. CEP implies provision of sustainable living of the population and management of environmental situation at the Caspian Sea.

Due to this the main objective of the National Action Programme is stabilization of environmental situation and enhancement of the environment of the Caspian Sea for provision of sustainable living of the population in the costal zone.

Provision of sustainable living of the population may be implemented if the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea including the ecosystem of the costal zone is conserved. Under such kind of environmental situation it is necessary to reach considerable stabilization and enhancement of the environment for conservation of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea.

In order to implement the main objective of the National Action Programme it is necessary to fulfill a number of targets and to achieve the results on such actual directions of environmental policy as provision of complex and sustainable use of transboundary costal zone, reduction of the level of pollution, establishment of the basis for conservation and balanced use of biological and landscape diversity.

Objectives and priorities of the programme for the next 10 years (2003-2012):

1. Complex planning and management of the costal zone.

The objective – Provision of complex and sustainable use of transboundary costal zone of the Caspian Sea.

Target 1. To provide elimination and reduction of historical industrial pollution and rehabilitation of degraded costal territories (stage by stage).

1.1 Conservation and elimination of the flooded oil wells and elimination of self flowing hydrological wells.

1.2 Cleaning the land from oil and elimination of oil stores and recultivation of soil at oil fields.

1.3 Utilization of associated gasses to stop flaring at oil and gas fields.

1.4 Localization of hazardous impact of the fields of evaporation of waste waters “Tuchlaya Balka” in Atyrau city on the environment.

1.5 Recultivation of “beach zones” and conservation of hazardous toxic substances of the tailing “Koshkar-ata” in Actau city.

1.6 Elimination of the sunken ships (vessels) in the bay Bautino and ownerless boring towers on the costal line.

Target 2. Perfection of the system of planning and management of the costal zone and attraction of investments for improving of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea.

2.1 Preparation of the draft Law of RK “on protection of the ecosystem of Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone”

2.2 Improving of economic mechanism of nature use and adoption of new normative payments for environmental pollution adequate to compensate the costs for elimination of the damage.

2.3 Preparation of documents on special planning, land use planning and attraction of investments foe development of the costal zone.

2.4 Improving the net of hydro- meteorological survey in the Caspian region to provide forecast of storms and negative and positive setup and monitoring of environmental pollution.

2.5 Creation of mechanism of exchange of information with littoral states to warn and protect costal infrastructures and industrial constructions in case of hydro – meteorological actions and pollution of the environment.

2.6 Seismic danger assessment related ton increase of extraction of hydro carbon resources and conducting seismic monitoring in the Caspian region.

2.7 Assessment of impact of deposits of hazardous wastes on the environment, implementation of the activities on processing and use of industrial and domestic wastes.

2.8 Monitoring of industrial and domestic wastes.

Target 3. To reduce the process of desertification and degradation of the costal zone as a result of man caused activities.

3.1 Improving of legislative base on combating desertification and organizing the system of monitoring of desertification process.

3.2 Development and implementation of pilot projects on prevention of man caused degradation. Rational use of pastures and creation of sewing pastures.

3.3 Implementation of projects (programs) on combating desertification.

Target 4 To reduce negative impact of agricultural activity in the costal zone on the ecosysytem of the Caspian Sea.

4.1 Provision of protection of the Caspian Sea from agro chemicals through limitation of their use on the banks of the rivers Kigach, Ural and Emba in the costal zone of the sea.

4.2 Prohibition of use of some agro chemicals in the costal territories and to implement activities to eliminate them.

4.3 Development of the programmes on rehabilitation and melioration of land s to irrigate the costal zone.

Target 5 To improve the quality of life of the population of the region

1. Solution of the problem of provision of settlement localities of the region with drinking water of good quality water.

2. Solution of the problems of city waste waters in the costal zone of the Caspian oblasts.

3. Implementation of a number of activities on greening the settlement localities of the region.

4. Improving health care of the population.

II. Control and regulation the level of pollution.

Objective - Reduction of the risk of pollution and creation of the basis for improving the quality of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea.

Target 1. To create the basis for minimization of negative impact of industrial activity on the environment and provision of environmental security in the region.

1.Updating the regulatory and legal basis for nature use.

2. Non use and change of outdated industrial and oil and gas equipment, application of new technologies for minimization of pollution of marine water.

3. Updating the National Plan on prevention of oil spills and response to them. Agreeing of set of measures for cooperation with littoral states in case of major oil spills in the Caspian Sea and provision of mutual assistance ti eliminate the consequences of oil spills.

Target 2. To provide compliance with principles and requirements of regulatory and legal documents on environmental protection of then Caspian Sea.

2.1 Implementation of the requirements of the Framework Convention on Protection of Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.

2.1.1 Implementation of the requirements of the Agreement on Minimization of Amount of Wastes from the current oil and gas constructions and non use of outdated (non competitive) industrials installations and equipment stage by stage.

2.1.2 Implementation of the protocol on discharges into then sea and the protocol on land sources of pollution located near the Caspian basin.

2.1.3 Implementation of the protocols on compliance with norms and standards of the quality of the environment when oil and gas is being developed in the region.

Target 3. To establish the system of monitoring of the level of environmental pollution.

3.1 Implementation of the Programme on quick assessment of the level of the water pollution in the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea.

3.2 Updating the data bank of monitoring of the pollution of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone.

3.3 Monitoring of compliance with requirements with the regulatory and legal documents and agreements and protocols.

III. Conservation of biological and landscape diversity of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone.

The objective: Creation of the basis for conservation and balanced use of biological and landscape diversity of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone.

Target 1. Rehabilitation of degraded water and costal ecosystems, places of fattening and spawning and habitat of commercial animals.

1. Activities on fishery melioration to rehabilitate natural spawning grounds of sturgeon in the Ural River.

2. Participation in international studies on assessment of the state of bioresources of the Caspian Sea and development of preventive measures on combating Mnemiopsis.

3. Activities on reclamation of man-caused degraded land when they were developed and the road and other constructions were built.

4. Increasing the square of saxaul and tugai forests.

5. Recovery of the places of drinking waters for animals and establishment the places for passing of commercial animals through the line constructions.

6. Reduction the number of predatory animals.

7. Increasing the square of current and new established especially protected nature territories.

Target 2. To establish an effective system for conservation and balanced use of bioresources of the Caspian Sea, biological and landscape diversity of its costal zone.

1. Implementation of a number of activities on conservation and increasing the stock of sturgeon including research on the state of the gene pool of sturgeon and other fish species, measures on conservation and increasing the stock of fish through increasing the amount of brought and released into the sea young fish and commodity sturgeon breeding.

2. Zoning of the North– Eastern part of the Caspian Sea and reserve zone in order to reduce the impact of the marine oil operations on especially mild zones of the sea.

3. To provide protection of in situ and ex situ of especially endangered key species.

4. Preparation of the Red Book of animals and plants of the of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone. Edition of a separate Red Book of Kazakhstan.

5. Updating of the regulatory and legal basis on protection, reproduction and use of animals and plants.

6. Strengthening the material and technical basis and financial supply of governmental bodies on protection of bioresources and EPNT.

7. Making interstate agreements on conservation, reproduction and rational use of water bioresources and the costal zone of the Caspian Sea.

8. Reviewing the possibility of creation of joint Kazakhstan and Russia transboundary biosphere reserve in the North of the Caspian Sea.

Target 3. To establish monitoring of biological and landscape diversity of the Caspian Sea and its costal zone.

1.To establish the center on monitoring of biological and landscape diversity.

2. Inventory of the lands of the Caspian oblasts and detection of non compliance with environmental legislation and low productive lands.

IY. Activities with the public of the region on management of the environment of the Caspian Sea.

The objective – Provision of public participation in management of the environment of the Caspian Sea.

Target 1. To raise the awareness of the public on environmental problems of the Caspian Sea.

1. To establish the public informational center on environmental state in the region.

2. Establishment of a system on environmental awareness for wide sectors of society of the Caspian region on conservation of the Caspian ecosystem.

3. Creation of regional mechanism of informational exchange with littoral states and international CEP partners on the state of biological and landscape diversity (mass media).

Target 2. To provide wide participation of the representatives of the public in management of the environment of the Caspian Sea.

Organizing wide public discussions of social and environmental aspects related to development of marine oil and gas operations.

Involving non governmental organizations (NGOs) to participate in preparation of EIA.

To provide public access to decision-making.

Target 3. To establish a network for ecotourism around the Caspian Sea.

1. Preparation and implementation of a pilot project in Atyrau and Mangystau oblasts on development of ecotourism on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

2. Preparation of the Programme on develo0pment of ecotourism and sports and amateur fishing in the Caspian oblasts.

3. Provision of development of ecotourism in cooperation with the littoral states and creation of the “green belt” (a network of ecotourism) around the Caspian Sea.

5. Main Directions and Mechanisms of Implementation of the Programme.

Activities under the National Action Programme are developed to eliminate primary defined causes resulted in major environmental problems of the region.

The main directions of the Programme are based on implementation of the complex of nature protection measures and imply elimination of historical pollution, reduction the level of the current pollution, conservation of biodiversity, provision of complex and sustainable use of transboundary costal zone stage by stage.

To solve the defined targets the Progtamme is supposed to be implemented through some stages. The initial stage of implementation of the Programme will be for next three years (2003-2005) – concrete measures are proposed (the plan of activities is attached). During the next years (2006-2012) a number of perspective projects and measures should be developed directed to cardinal solution of priority problems in accordance with strategic objectives and targets of the Programme.

Particularly, it is supposed to eliminate historical pollution and implement measures on reduction of the current pollution, legislative (regulatory), organizational actions (measures), governmental interferences, political measures and measures on capacity building and establishment of database, data management and other measures.

The objectives and priorities of the National Caspian Action Programme correspond to the priorities of the branch programmes and particularly – the Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources, the Ministry of agriculture, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Environmental Protection – and to the priorities of the Strategic Development Programmes of the two Caspian oblasts (Atyray and Mangystau) for the period till 2010.

In this connection the Ministry of EP has developed a section “Provision of Environmental safety” (5.2.1.2) with a plan of concrete measures and proposed them to include into the Programme on Development of Kazakhstan Shelf of the Caspian Sea.

6. Required Resources and Sources of Financing.

Implementation of the activities under the National Action Programme cannot be realizes without considerable financial resources. Therefore for implementation of the activities of the Programme the funds should be allocated from all possible sources of financing including the funds of national and local budgets, which are mainly formed by the funds of nature users, which pay for the pollution of the environment and use of natural resources.

Major amount of financing the activities is supposed to have from investments of industrial companies, the activities of which during the long-term period makes great load and damage to the environment. In this concern to reduce considerably the scale and elimination of historical pollution it is supposed on the basis of joint forces of all the concerned bodies to establish the fund for elimination the pollution of the past years.

Some of the activities directed to solution of transboundary problems should be supported by international organizations (CEP donors) in the form of grants and loans and donor-countries on technical support of the Governments of these countries in the frames of Official support to development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

7. Expected Result of Implementation of the Programme.

The expected positive result of implementation of the Programme to great extend depends on implementation of the planned measures in time and in proper way.

For example, elimination of historical pollution and implementation of measures on reduction of the current pollution in due time will result in considerable reduction of the current load on the environment and accordingly in stabilization of environmental situation in the region.

Application of updated competitive technologies in the oil and gas and other industries and transfer to international environmental quality standards will considerably reduce the level of the current pollution.

Step by step conduction of the planned irrigation and drainage sea bed deepening activities in the deltas of the Volga and the Ural rivers will provide the pass for the sturgeon to places of spawning.

As a result of implementation of these measures the basis for the enhancement of the environment and rehabilitation of habitat of water and land bioresources will be created. Due to this the preconditions for conservation of biodiversity in the regions will be created.

Perfection of the normative-and-legal acts and the structure of management of nature protection institutions will contribute to the basis for provision integrated (complex) and sustainable use of transboundary costal zone.

As a result of implementation of the Programme it is supposed to provide sustainable living of the population and to establish control for the sate of the environment and further to manage environmental situation at the Caspian Sea.

Plan of Activities on Implementation of the Programme for the Period of 2003-2005 (I stage)

Note: 1. The total amount of required (estimated) investments to implement the activities of section II is 973,8 mln. tenge ( $ 6,381mln.) including the Programme on KSCS – 931,8 mln. tenge ($6,106).

Note: 1. The amount of required (expected) investments to implement the activities defined in section III is 500,9 mln.tenge ($3,282 mln.) including the Programme on KSCS – 139,4 mln.tenge ($0,.913 mln.)

Note: 1. The total amount of required (expected) investments to implement the activities defined in section IV is 46,0 mln.tenge ($ 0,3 mln.) including the Programme on KSCS – (will be defined according to the results of projects documents).

2. The total amount of required (expected) investments to implement the activities of the Plan is 4782,625 mln.tenge (31,338 US$) including the Programme on KSCS - 3932,8 mln. Tenge ($ 25,771 mln.). The amount of required (expected) investments to implement the regional activities in the frames of CEP will be defined by CEP donors after the Caspian states have acceded to the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian sea and when the activities of regional SAP are being implemented.

3. * - Activities to be implemented according to the Programme on Development of the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian sea (KSCS) for the period till 2015 and correspond to the priorities of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Agency on Emergency Situations and other ones.

** - Activities, which correspond to the priorities of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

*** - Activities, which correspond to the priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Plan of Activities also comprises the priorities of the Strategic Development Plans for the two Caspian oblasts for the period till 2010.

Abbreviations:

MEP – Minidtry of Environmental Protection MF- Ministry of Finance

MEMR – Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources MLSP – Ministry of Labor and Social protection

MEBP – Ministry on Economics and Budget Planning MJ –Ministry of Justice

MFA – Ministry for Foreign Affairs MCIPC – Ministry of Culture, Information and Public Concern

MA – Ministry of Agriculture Caspian oblasts – Atyrau and Mangystau oblasts

MID – Ministry of Industry and trade NCC – ZAO National Company “Kazmunaygas”

MTC – Ministry of Transport and Communications CEP – Caspian Environmental Programme

MHC – Ministry on Health Care Regional activity – activities under the Strategic Action Plan (SAP)

AES – Agency on Emergency Situations CEP donors – Global Environmental facility (GEF),

ALRM – Agency on Land Resources management United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

ATS – Agency on Tourism and Sports the World bank (WB), European Commission ( TACIS)

NAS RK – National Academy of Sciences of RK PPIP – Portfolio of Priority Investment Projects of WB

MES –Ministry of Education and Science SGP – Small Grants Programme of the World Bank

RDEB - Reconstruction and Development European Bank