Aral Sea: 3rd Programme Underway

It was announced during the joint session of the UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission that, in cooperation with the Governments of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a regional project on the forestation of the dry bed of the Aral Sea will be undertaken. The project is part of the 3rd Aral Basin Sea Basin Programme undertaken by the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) to improve environmental, social and economic conditions in the region.

In addition to this noteworthy project, 15 other project proposals fall under the specific focus "improving the instituional and legal instruments".

Tehran Convention: COP-3 Outcomes

The five Parties to the Tehran Convention on the Environmental Protection of the Caspian Region agreed to two new protocols during COP-3 in Aktau (Kazakhstan). Once ratified, the Protocol on Regional Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in Combating Oil Pollution Incidents will introduce an emergency response system for oil pollution incidents. Agreement on the text of the Protocol on Environmental Impact Assessmetn in a Transboundary Context was reached "in principle" and is intended to provide common rules for the parties to assess any planned activities that could cause significant adverse effects on the Caspian Sea's marine environment. The protocol also would require countries to notify one another of such activities.

The draft Protocol on Regional Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in Combating Oil Pollutions Incidents (Document TC/COP3/6), as conveyed in the Note of the interim Secretariat to COP-3.

The draft Protocol on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Document TC/COP3/4), as conveyed in the Note of the interim Secretariat to COP-3.

CMS and Kazakhstan: MOU on Saiga Antelope

The Secretariat of CMS and the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan convened representatives of wildlife management authorities in the country and experts, from 17-18 February to discuss the implementation of CMS memoranda of understanding on the Saiga Antelope and the Bukhara Deer. [CMS Press Release]