The World Bank (WB) plans to approve funding on June 25 for the project “Caspian Sea Cleanup: Building Capacity for Pollution Management and Biodiversity Conservation.”
According to Report, citing the WB, the project will benefit Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.
The project will be financed through a $12 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and will be implemented over five years under the guidance of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The funding is divided into four main components: national and regional policy and institutional development ($1.6 million), pollution management ($4.9 million), biodiversity management ($4.9 million), and project management ($0.6 million).
The project aims to enhance pollution monitoring and control while improving the management of protected marine areas in the targeted regions of the Caspian Sea. As the largest enclosed body of water in the world, the Caspian Sea contains about 44% of all inland waters and borders Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.
The WB highlights the Caspian ecosystem’s uniqueness, home to around 400 endemic species, with its isolation from the world’s oceans creating rich biodiversity. However, the sea’s water levels have significantly decreased over the past decades. It is predicted that by 2100, the water level may drop by 8 to 30 meters due to climate change and overuse of water resources.
Key focuses of the project include strengthening coordination among participant countries, developing integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) plans, marine spatial planning (MSP), conducting training, signing memorandums of understanding, and enhancing the capacity of regional institutions.
As part of pollution management, the project plans to create an inventory of land-based pollution sources, analyze pollution “hot spots” and related economic losses, develop national and regional pollution reduction programs, monitor pollution, procure equipment, conduct environmental training, and promote eco-friendly technologies, alongside public awareness campaigns.
The project will also focus on establishing and expanding the network of protected marine areas (PMAs), developing and implementing PMA management plans, training personnel for managing protected areas, supporting sustainable fisheries, adding value to fishing communities, assessing economic losses from biodiversity loss, compiling endangered species lists, and participating in the GEF IW platform.
Additionally, a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) will be created under the UNEP Tehran Convention Secretariat, along with a Regional Steering Committee and technical groups.
This project contributes to the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and supports Turkmenistan’s National Development Strategy. It aligns with the World Bank’s Regional Strategy for Central Asia, focusing on the “blue economy,” pollution issues, and the conservation of the Caspian’s biodiversity.
With long-term goals of preserving the ecological balance of the Caspian Sea and fostering regional cooperation for sustainable resource management, the project is expected to mitigate pollution, improve the environmental situation in the region, and preserve biodiversity for future generations.
