The Caspian seal is the only mammal living in the Caspian Sea basin. It has been listed in the Red Book as a species in danger of extinction since 2020.
Irina Makanova, Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Development of Specially Protected Natural Territories (SPNTs) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, proposed recognizing the Caspian seal as an endangered species at a meeting of the working group of the State Duma Committee on Ecology. Makanova suggested that this recognition would enable the creation of a separate strategy for the preservation of the Caspian seal through a regulatory legal document and plans to restore the population.
In January 2024, the Compass Foundation for Support and Development of Environmental Initiatives submitted an initiative to include the Caspian seal in the list of endangered animals to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosprirodnadzor. Recognizing Caspian seals as an endangered species will allow for stricter penalties for their illegal harvesting.
compiled by Maya GURDOVA,
student of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
Comments