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In the Caspian Sea basin Mangistauskaya and Atyrauskaya oblast of Kazakhstan are located. The Ecological program of Mangistuskaya oblast for 2005-2007 directed to solve such problems as liquidation of historical pollution, biodiversity conservation and prevention of desertification and soil degradation, reduction of the volumes of industrial and household waste, etc. All regional programs are obligatory submitted to the approval of Ministry of Environment Protection of Republic of Kazakhstan (MoEP RK), and then it can be approved in regional Maslikhats. The Ecological program of Atyrauskaya oblast for 2006 - 2008 is approved in the MoEP and now is on the confirmation in the regional Maslikhat.

The Caspian Sea, world largest lake, is bordered by Azerbaijan Republic, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Republic, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan. Its biodiversity is comprised of 1354 plant, animal and more than 122 fish species. Out of 122 fish species and subspecies living in the Caspian Sea, 40 species are commercial and presently 25 species are the main exploited fish. The Caspian Sea fishes are divided to four main groups, including 53 species Marine fishes (43.5%), 42 species (13.4%) of freshwater origin, 18 species (14.7%) anadromous and 9 species (7.4%) semi-anadromous. At present sturgeons, kilka and Caspian Sea seals are considered as shared stocks between Caspian Sea range states.

This volume aims to provide background information on the Caspian Sea in order to support the recommendations in the National Caspian Action Plans (NCAPs) and the Strategic Action Programme (SAP). Thus, this TDA is not merely a State of the Environment report, but also a look into the future based on the current political situation, socio-economic conditions, and legal/regulatory framework. 

This TDA relies on and benefits from the dedicated work of numerous individuals, agencies, institutes, projects and corporations. The major building blocks are the studies and research works conducted and
carried out by the Caspian Regional Thematic Centres. These works have been mostly produced by the national experts of the Caspian countries and have been effectively led and substantially assisted by the National Focal Points (NFPs) and the Management Advisory Group and Inter-sectoral Assistants (MAGICAs). Production of the TDA would have not been possible without the efficient project execution assistance of UNOPS. The overall conceptualization, design, production monitoring and editing of the TDA has been led by the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) including the Data and Information Management Theme in Baku, Azerbaijan.