Welcome to Caspinfo,
an independent source of information on the environmental problems of the Caspian and the activities of community environmental organizations
News, announcements, events
[July, 27 2004] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 126. July 1-15, 2004
Will the Caspian repeat the fate of the Aral?;
The CEP announces a fourth round of the its Caspian-wide Small Cooperative Grants Program;
[June, 28 2004] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 124-125. June 1-30, 2004
The results of a conference discussing Caspian wetlands, held in Astrakhan, May 27-28, 2004;
Ten tons of oil spilled into the Volga River as the result of a pipeline leak in Saratov;
[June, 15 2004] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 123. May, 16-31, 2004
Recommendations from the public hearing "Liquidation of Oil Spills
in the Caspian Sea: Reality and Resolution;
A year and a half after its sinking, the Mercury-2 ferry poses a
serious threat to the Caspian environment;
[May, 24 2004] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 122. May, 1-15, 2004
An analysis of the current status of Caspian bioresources and methods for conservation and restoration.
The results of a public hearing on the liquidation of oil spills in the Caspian, which was held in Atyrau on April 29-30
[April, 28 2004] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 120-121. April, 1-31, 2004
At a meeting in Moscow, March 10-12, quotas were determined for 2004 sturgeon catches.
Community organizations from around the Caspian region are urging their governments and Parliaments to take immediate measures to prevent oil pollution in the Caspian Sea, particularly from sunken wells;
A collection of articles from the western press on attempts to resolve environmental problems, resulting from the introduction of mnemiopsis into the Caspian Sea;
REC offices from around the Caspian will be accepting applications until May 28, 2004, for a small grants program (up to 25,000 Euros) as part of the European Union program, "Sustainable Development of Transcaspian Communities.";
Several environmental NGOs from the Caspian region are voicing their concerns about the impacts of oil spills at Kazakhstan's coastal Pribrezhnoe oil field;
The results from a public environmental monitoring assessment of pollution levels in water bodies throughout the Astrakhan region;
An explosion at the Kalamkas-Karazhanbas-Aktau pipeline in Kazakhstan's Mangistau Oblast resulted in a 200 ton oil spill;
On January 31, the US Fish and Wildlife Service may come to a decision on import bans for beluga caviar. A New York Times article on this topic, written by K. Pala, is now available;
Scientists are concerned about the dangers of pollution spreading to the Caspian from the radioactive waters of the Koshkar-Ata tailings pond in Aktau;
A selection of articles from the Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani media regarding the January 7th detention of an Azerbaijani vessel in Kazakhstani waters due to poaching;
Crude Accountability is conducting a survey among the Transcaspian countries regarding improving public participation and implementation mechanisms for the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea;
The next issue of the Caucasus Nature Journal is dedicated to wetlands and the sea;
Each year catches of fish in the Volga River decrease.
Crude Accountability has sent a letter of inquiry to the IMO, requesting an explanation as towhy this specialized agency of the United Nations refused the opportunity to enter into an open dialogue with the public;
Results of analysis conducted on bird carcasses from the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian will explain the massive bird die-off in that region;
Agip KCO has been fined 15 million tenge for environmental pollution exceeding permissible concentrations of chloride and sulfates
After eight years an environmental convention on the Caspian
Sea has been signed-but what will it mean in practice?;
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Environmental Protection has fined the ChevronTexaco-led Tengizchevroil consortium approximately $1 million for exceeding pollution levels;
Bird Deaths in the Caspian. A selection of materials about this incident;
Authorized representatives of all five Transcaspian countries signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. The Convention text is archived in Caspinfo's library;
The EBRD's Board of Directors has approved financing of $125 million for the BTC pipeline, and up to $30 million for the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) Phase 1 oil field development;
A selection of materials from western media outlets about the critical CITES decision regarding increasing the sturgeon export quota from the Caspian region;
Community forum "Oil Spills and the North Caspian" in Astrakhan, October 23-25, 2003;
Another environmental emergency has occurred in the Caspian. A large quantity of dead birds was discovered on Aktote Island (Kazakhstan);
Special Issue of BOSS journal: "The Caspian, Sea of Dreams";
Geological-Geophysical Research, and Oil and Gas Resources of the Caspian Sea
[October, 4 2003] Caspinfo Information Service. Bulletin 106-107.September, 1-30, 2003
For four years, the quantity of sprat catches has decreased by five
times;
A work plan (2003-2005) has been developed for the first stage of exploration of the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian;
The first international environmental conference dedicated to environmental safety in the development of oil reserves on the Caspian shelf;
On September 5 the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), announced an increase of black caviar export quotas. Other Sturgeon Conservation Issues;
The village of Berezovka, located near the Karachaganak oil field in western Kazakhstan, continues its fight for the right to live and breathe in a clean environment;
On August 30, 2003 there was an environmental catastrophe in Samara Oblast. As a result of a fire aboard the tanker, Victoria, 70 tons of oil were spilled into the Volga River and 1000 tons were burned;
