Scientific, Environmental, and Political Issues in the Circum-Caspian Region

On behalf of the Russian Federation Committee on Water Economy, I would like to welcome the participants of the NATO-sponsored Workshop on the Problems of the Caspian Sea and the Circum-Caspian States. The world's largest intercontinental sea/lake is well known for its wealth mineral and fuel resources and sturgeon stocks' the products of which (oil and caviar) are in constant demand on the world market. During the last half-century the Caspian Sea has been the focus of the scientific community concerned with its level fluctuations. We were, and still are, solving a two-faceted issue: to rescue the Caspian Sea and to rescue the population from the Caspian Sea. To rescue the Caspian Sea is to address a broad spectrum of environmental issues related primarily to water pollution by waste water and petroleum products. To rescue the population from the Caspian Sea means that an almost 2.5 m sea level rise in the last two decades has resulted in flooding of vast coastal areas deteriorating economic and social spheres of activity. Solutions to these issues are linked to the numerous mysterious aspects of recent Caspian Sea behavior. Regrettably, the collapse of the USSR has led to a decline of marine observations and control over the use of marine resources in the region. Coordinated international action on the protection of living marine resources have terminated, generating disastrous consequences.

I. Introduction to the Caspian Sea Environment.- The Regionalization of Climate-Related Environmental Problems.- Closed Areas and the Case of the Caspian Sea Basin.- Overview: History and Causes of Caspian Sea Level Change.- Assessment of the State of the Caspian Sea.- Environmental Problems of the Caspian Sea Region and the Conflict of National Priorities.- Toward Regional Cooperation in the Caspian: A Legal Perspective.- II. Sea Level Rise: Impacts and Implications.- Iranian Research on Caspian Sea Level Rise.- Ecological Problems of the Caspian Sea and Perspectives on Possible Solutions.- Ecological, Social and Economic Problems of the Turkmen Caspian Zone.- The Problem of the Caspian Sea Level Forecast and Its Control for the Purpose of Management Optimization.- Problems of Ecological Safety of the Astrakhan Region Due to the Rise of the Caspian Sea.- Biological Aspects of Caspian Sea Level Rise.- III. Desertification.- Europe s First Desert.- Studies of Aerosols from Kalmykia s Black Lands and Their Influence on Environment.- IV. Coping with Environmental Change.- Socio-Ecological Characterization: A Framework for Ecosystem Management Information.- An Overview of Global Environmental Change Research.- Development of the Caspian-Aral Seas Program: An ICWC Perspective.- Iranian Perspective on Environmental Problems in the Caspian Sea Region.- V. Examples and Lessons from other Regions.- An Overview of the Environmental Issues in the Black Sea Region.- Environmental Problems of the Baltic Sea Region.- Identifying Sources of Radioactive and Heavy Metal Contamination in the Caspian Sea: Future Research Opportunities.- VI. Regional and International Organizations.- The Rising Waters of the Caspian Sea and Possibilities for International Cooperation.- Strategicplanning for the Scientific and Technical Cooperation among the Littoral States of the Caspian Sea.- Perspectives for Regional Cooperation on Major Environmental Issues in the Caspian Sea Basin.- Do International Organizations Have a Role in Addressing Caspian Environmental Issues?.- List of Participants.- Biographical Information on Participants.