ALMATY – Caspian Sea Day is being marked on Aug. 12, the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Tehran Convention, the main regional agreement on protecting the Caspian Sea’s marine environment, as environmental concerns over declining water levels and the future of the world’s largest enclosed body of water continue to grow.
NASA satellite images of the Caspian Sea as of September 2006 (L) and September 2022 (R). Photo credit: NASA Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times. The anniversary coincided with the conclusion of the international Caspian Sea Action Week 2026, which brought together delegations from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkmenistan, as well as representatives from Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, alongside volunteers, environmental activists, scientists and young people in Aktau.
Held under Taza Kazakhstan environmental culture development concept, the week combined scientific discussions, environmental campaigns, volunteer initiatives and innovation projects aimed at drawing attention to the shared challenges facing the Caspian. From regional agreement to environmental action The Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, known as the Tehran Convention, entered into force in 2006.
It created a regional framework for the five Caspian littoral states to cooperate on pollution prevention and the protection of the sea’s ecosystem. Two decades later, the nature of the challenge has become more complex. The anniversary coincided with the conclusion of the international Caspian Sea Action Week 2026.
Photo credit: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Environmental cooperation initially focused heavily on managing pollution and protecting marine biodiversity. Today, the long-term decline in the Caspian’s water level has added another dimension to the region’s environmental agenda.
Laura Malikova, chair of the Association of Practicing Environmentalists, recently warned about rapid shallowing in the northern Caspian. She linked some of the concerns to dredging operations conducted by the North Caspian Operating Company and its contractors to support navigation and cargo deliveries.
Laura Malikova, chair of the Association of Practicing Environmentalists. Photo credit: Kazinform “Photos and videos clearly show how far the water has retreated. The northern Caspian is becoming shallow at an extremely rapid pace,” Malikova said, as quoted by Kazinform.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ecology Ministry, climate change remains the principal driver of the long-term water-level decline. Precipitation in the Caspian region is decreasing while evaporation is increasing, making the region particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures.