Logo
BackPrint

Caspian Sea facts 

The Caspian Sea, surrounded by the five littoral countries, is the largest land-locked body of water on earth. The isolation of the Caspian basin, its climate and its sea characteristics like salinity gradients, have created a unique ecological system. Today the Caspian Sea environment faces significant environmental pressure. Overfishing, discharging wastewater and exploration and production of gas and oil among others put great pressure on this unique ecosystem and many Caspian biota are threatened by over-exploitation, habitat destruction and pollution.


fireThe five countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran share the natural heritage of the Caspian Sea. Despite their political and social diversity, the people of the region share a common concern for the Caspian. However the links between science and policy are presently weak and should be strengthened in order to achieve a more adequate trans-national approach to environmental administration and management. A first step in this direction, is bringing together representatives of many relevant environmental institutions, serving the Scientific community in the field of environmental (data & information) administration and management, within a Scientific Network (Caspscience-net).