Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Environmental pollution threatens the Caspian Sea seals, Deputy Head of Iran's Environmental Protection in Marine Environment said.

Abdol-Reza Karbasi spoke at the ceremony of the 10th anniversary of signing Tehran Convention on November 4, Fars news agency reported

Delegations from Caspian littoral states -Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Russia- participated in the ceremony.

According to Karbasi, Caspian Sea's seals population has decreased from one million to 100,000 in the past twenty years.

He also warned about the littoral states' activities in the oil industry that have led to serious environmental problems in the region.

According to Karbasi, the littoral states will sign a protocol on the protection of the regional wildlife in Turkmenistan in the near future.

A protocol on trans-border environmental reports is also being prepared and will be signed in Turkmenistan.

Caspian seals were included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2000.

According to UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Iran Balasubramaniam Murali, the protection of the Caspian Sea and the conservation of its bio-diversity and resources require environment diplomacy, Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Addressing the event, Murali said that attention should be paid to the provisions of the Caspian Sea Convention, while taking special and coordinated measures in that direction.

He warned that the Caspian Sea ecosystem which has reached an alarming stage would suffer irreparable damage if it reaches an alarming level.

According to him, the Caspian Convention faces many challenges that should be removed through compiling a national program for the member countries.

Caspian seal is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family. They can be found not only along the shorelines, but also on the many rocky islands and floating blocks of ice on the Caspian Sea.

The alarming news about the Caspian seals' mass mortality is increasingly coming from all the littoral sates. Earlier in October, a number of dead seals were found on the shores of Azerbaijani industrial city Sumgayit.

The cause of the mass mortality of these unique creatures is still unknown, but one of the main negative factors is pollution.

Solving this environmental problem is of great importance to preserve the population, and it can only be reached through the joint efforts of all five countries.

The resource-rich Caspian Sea is also inhabited by 141 fish species, and the main fishery in the region -a sturgeon fishery- is operated using this basin's resources.

Earlier in Baku, a ban on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea was suggested.

The five Caspian states signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.