UNDP-GEF Project Writeups

UNDP-GEF PROJECT WRITEUPS

A partnership funded by GEF and implemented by UNDP

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Basic Project INFO

FOCAL AREA:
International Waters
PROJECT TITLE: Caspian Environment Programme
PROJECT NUMBER:
COUNTRY:
PROJECT STATUS:

PROJECT DOWNLOAD (WORD)

Caspian Environment Programme (Addressing Transboundary Environmental Issues in the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP)

Facts and figures

Threats to Caspian environment come from pollution overexploitation of biomass resources (esp sturgeon), and, unsustainable coastal area development. The Volga-Dom canal system has allowed invasive species (esp. comb jellyfish. See Black Sea) to reach the landlocked Caspian Sea (CEP is working with GloBallast) while oil and gas exploration and transportation, expected to increase massively over the coming decades, presents a new challenge.

Caspian Sea once provided 80% of world's sturgeon stock - but catches have fallen dramatically from 30,000 tons (1985) to 5,672 tons (1995). At its peak this was a $6 billion industry. A quota system had little effect as illegal sea catches exceeded legal catches several times .An effective caviar ban is now in force as CITIES has approved no quotas for 2006.

In January 2006 a CITIES official warned that sturgeon fish resources in the Caspian Sea were at its lowest level all throughout history warned that if the current trend in the illegal catch of the sturgeon continues, the fish would definitely become extinct within the next few years. Twenty years ago 1,000 tons of sturgeon was caught each year. Recently the quota for all five Caspian Sea littoral states has been just 105 tons.

There are also legal and political issues concerning the Caspian Sea. Security issues (drugs/weapons smuggling, terrorism and WMD proliferation) are a growing regional concern. Russian PM Putin has emphasised the importance of a regional security conference to be held later this year (2006).

Project description

Unique ecological system of landlocked Caspian Sea is home to more than 400 endemic species, many (especially sturgeon) of economic importance and threatened by pollution, overexploitation, invasion of alien species and alteration of habitat. Increasing oil and gas production/exploration in the region poses new threat to ecosystem and human health/tourism incomes is threatened by unsafe drinking water, untreated sewage, unsanitary beaches and bathing waters. CEP is a regional initiative to address these problems.

The Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) is a regional umbrella programme developed for and by the five Caspian Littoral States, Azerbaijan, I.R. Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, aiming to halt the deterioration of environmental conditions of the Caspian Sea and to promote sustainable development in the area.

The need for joint protection and management of the Caspian environment and its resources has been an ongoing issue for the Caspian States. In particular, since the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991) there has been heightened awareness of such a need. The CEP was born out of a long desire for regional cooperation, expressed through a number of regional agreements. CEP was launched in 1998 with the participation of all the littoral countries and support from GEF and the European Union. GEF funding has been channeled to the programme through UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank. CEP's main activities during its first phase of activities up to 2003 included:

• Creating regional coordination mechanism; 2) establishing nine Caspian Regional Thematic Centres; 3) preparation of strategic action plans for investment, legal, policy and institutional reform as well as for biodiversity; 4) working with Globallast to control invasive species; 5) strengthening regional fisheries and spawning habitat management.

CEP main activities during its second phase focused on assistance to the littoral countries towards implementation of the Caspian Strategic Action Programme (SAP) . GEF support to CEP targeted priority areas of pollution control and monitoring and biodiversity protection including mitigation of invasive species impact. The project also supported regional legal and institutional capacity building efforts aiming at environment protection.

SELECTED PROJECT ACTIVITIES/RESULTS

All CAP countries (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan) have established national inter-ministry committees/bodies tasked with inter-sectoral coordination. Public Participation Advisors have been appointed in all five countries and a public participation strategy has been developed and regionally approved. Industry representatives and NGOs participate in all major events.
There is an on-going dialogue which may lead to a long-term environmental partnership with the oil and gas industry. This has recently produced industry funding for two major workshops, a major aerial survey of seals and data-sharing agreements.
The project has always placed a high priority on keeping the oil and gas industry informed about its objectives and progress. This effort has already been rewarded by a limited amount of co-funding from companies such as British Petroleum, Shell, Exxon-Mobil and OKICO who have realized that CEP is a truly regional body through which future funds can be channeled with the knowledge that they will be used effectively – an important point in a region where government transparency is a problem. Oil company funding has already helped support a contaminants cruise, biodiversity strategy development, oil spill contingency planning, and creation of a biodiversity center.
Four thematic Caspian Regional Advisory Groups have been established dealing with: Coastal Area Development; Fisheries; Biodiversity & Invasive Species; and Emergency Response. The CAP project acts as Interim Secretariat
Twelve Matched Grants and 32 Micro Environment Grants totaling close to $ 400,000 have been made for projects focusing on fisheries, soil cleansing, water supply for small communities, pollution reduction and environmental awareness. The matched Small Grants Programme also awarded grants which resulted in reforestation of 500 ha of degraded coastal land in Azerbaijan and provided three small communities in Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan with access to improved water.
Four POPs reduction projects worth over $200,000 are under implementation.
Technical and investment assistance has been given to a Russian sturgeon fingerling hatchery which has resulted in increased annual releases of fingerlings into the Caspian Sea.
Public Participation Advisors have been placed in all five countries
Caspian NGO Date Base and Media Data Base created.
Agreement has been reached on initiation of a regional Pollution Monitoring Programme and a Biodiversity & Environment Monitoring Programme, based on agreed parameters, stations, protocols and guidelines
The CEP created and/or strengthened eleven Caspian Regional Thematic Centers (CRTCs) to address multiple environmental and natural resource issues, assess key issues and determine priority action plans. The thematic fields were: Data and Information Management; Pollution Control; Legal, Regulatory, and Economic Instruments; Fisheries and Commercially Exploited Bioresources; Water Level Fluctuations ;Protection of Biodiversity; Desertification; Human Sustainable Development and Health: Integrated Transboundary Coastal Area Management and Planning; Theme for Effective Regional Assessment of Contaminent Levels; and Emergency Response
In 2004, five Regional Advisory Groups (RAGs) were established. Their areas of expertise were Biodiversity and Invasive Species; Fisheries; Emergency Response; Pollution; and Sustainable Coastal Development.
A Conference of Plenipotentiaries adopted the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Teheran Convention) in November 2003 at Teheran. Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan participated in the conference.

During its first four years (July 1998 to October 2002) the CEP established and prepared a management structure; a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA); National Caspian Action Plans (NCAPs); Strategic Action Programme (SAP); Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP); Priority Investment Portfolio Project (PIPP); a Regional Cooperation Plan for Oil Spill Preparedness and drafted the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.
An Ecotoxicology Project (ECOTOX) was carried out to investigate toxic contaminant accumulation and related pathology in the Caspian sturgeon, seal and bony fish.

An Inter-agency Agreement (IIA) was signed with the IMO in which the IMO agreed provide technical assistance to assess the extent of aquatic species transfer through ship's ballast water and sediments into and out of the Caspian Sea and to undertake a pre-feasibility study into control measures.
Through an IIA with IAEA sediment samples have been collected from all coastal areas for analysis.
A Regional Pollution Monitoring System has been agreed and is being launched.
A Regional Biodiversity Data Base and Monitoring System, including maps, is being developed.
Monitoring of Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe (two invasive species found in the Black Sea) was carried out in the South Caspian sea during 2006 showing no improvement or worsening in biomass and no natural introduction of Beroe to date. Mnemiopsis leidyi was introduced by ship ballast water into the Black Sea around 1980, where it multiplied rapidly causing the collapse of the fishing industry. It has now entered the Caspian Sea through the Volga-Don Canal.
Two seal aerial surveys have been conducted and a draft seal conservation plan has been developed.
A POPS Regional Action programme is being developed.
Caspian and Black Sea Ecology 2004 - a summit of Ecology Ministers from Caspian and Black Sea Regional States - was held in Istanbul, Turkey in November 2004. Delegates, who included representatives of the international and regional oil-and-gas, transport and tanker companies and NGOs, considered a number of issues influencing the ecological system of the region including development of ecologically safe methods and technologies for oil and gas recovery as well as transportation of power resources in the Caspian-Black Sea region.
Constructive collaboration with EU supported projects that deal with Sustainable Management of Fisheries and Sustainable Management of Coastal Communities.
Templates developed for thematic reporting on SAP implementation at Regional Advisory Group meetings
A regional plan for POPs/PTS has been developed.

Legal

A Regional Review of Legislation on Invasive Species has been conducted
Gap analysis studies on national legislation are under way
Four Priority Protocols have been developed dealing with LBS, Transboundary EIA, Biodiversity Protection and Oil Pollution Incidents. Regional agreement has been obtained on initiating work on a Fisheries Protocol.
Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Teheran Convention) in November 2003.
Kazakh Parliament approved a new law in May 2005 to regulate offshore oil operations and make production-sharing agreements.
The Tehran Convention was ratified by all countries during 2004/2006 and is expected to come enforceable in August.
Four associated Protocols are near finalization dealing with Land Based Sources of Pollution; Emergency Response to Oil Spills; Biodiversity Protection; and EIA in Transboundary Context.

Communications

The CEP's public awareness programme focuses on i) awareness raising and facilitating a systematic, transparent information flow; ii) establishing and strengthening the legal and institutional basis for participation.

The CEP has built up a well-developed website and issues a monthly e-bulletin. Booklets, brochures, educational materials and promotional items can all be ordered through the website.
CEP's extensive e-library includes major documents, a searchable library of more than 886 documents, meeting reports map and GIS data and a photolibrary. On line databases include Caspian Sea Information System, Biodiversity Database, ASTP Cruse Data, Caspian Sea Data Inventory, Guides & Manuals, CEP Media Database, and NGO Database
An introduction to the Caspian Sea and the Caspian Environment Programme - published 2006 - is the result of a joint effort by the five Caspian littoral countries, CEP and its international partners.
Fourth Biodiversity Competition in Azerbaijan (2005) included a category for biodiversity articles and video materials to promote environmental journalism. A Regional Caspian Environment Journalism Workshop was held in Baku in April 2005.
A Stakeholders Analysis has been carried out and a Public Participation Plan has been developed and regionally approved.
An Environmental Journalism Workshop has been conducted. 30 journalists have been trained in environmental journalism
A Micro Environmental Grant programme is being implemented.
CEP Information Brochure and three thematic educational posters and associated brochures have been published.

Training

Model training course packages for the implementation of IMO ballast water management requirements have been developed with Train-Sea-Coast.
Other workshop topics have included Economic Valuation of Environment: Biomonitoring and Biomarkers Application.

Meetings

Workshops on Economic Valuation of Environment , Biomarkers Application Regional Oil Spill Claims, Invasive Species, Bio- monitoring, GIWA/Rapid Assessment of Pollution were held in 2006, each covering some 15 regional experts.
Funding of Five regional participants were funded to attend an Environment and Diplomacy Workshop in 2006.
Three national workshops on Espoo Convention were held in 2006 each covering up to 20 participants
Third regional workshop on Biodiversity of the regional Caspian Environment Programme (Atyrau, Kazakhstan, September 2001)
First regional workshop on the development of the Caspian Regional Plan on co-operation in cases of major oil spills (Baku, Azerbaijan November, 2001
Regional Environmental Law Workshop (Baku, Azerbaijan December 2001)
First Meeting of Combined Interim Pollution Regional Advisory Group and Emergency Response Regional Advisory Group (Tehran October 2004)
Iranian National Fish Population Dynamics Workshop, (Tehran October 2004)
Second Fisheries Regional Advisory Group (FRAG), (Tehran October 2004:
Annual Meeting of the Regional Seas Programmes, (Istanbul (Nov/Dec 2004)
The Fourth Meeting of the Interim Pollution Regional Advisory Group (PRAG), (Baku, October 2004)
Sustainable Development of Coastal Areas RAG (SCADRAG III), (Almaty, Oct/Nov 2005)
Data and Information Management Regional Meeting, (Tehran, September 2005)
Emergency Response Protocol (ERP) Meeting, (Tehran, September 2005
International Conference on Rapid Sea Level Changes, a Caspian Perspective, (Rasht, May 2005)
International Sturgeon Symposium (Ramsar, Iran, 2005)
Oil Spill Preparedness Workshop for the Caspian Region (Baku, May 2005)
Second Meeting of the Biodiversity and Invasive Species Advisory Group (BISRAG) (Almaty, Kazakhstan, April, 2005
POPS Meeting in (Tehran, March 2005)
2nd Pollution Regional Advisory Group Meeting, (Tehran, February 2005)
Caspian Legal Status Meeting, (Ashgabat, January 2005)
Workshop on Application of Biomarker Technique in Environmental Monitoring and Management was held in (Baku, February 2005)
iodiversity & Invasive Species Regional Advisory Group (BISRAG), (Baku, March 2006)

Partners etc

EU/TACIS: private sector (especially oil and gas industries). GloBallast. IW Learn

Dedicated website: http://www.caspianenvironment.org/newsite/index.htm

Newsletter:CEP E-Bulletin (monthly)

Last updated: 18 December 2006

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