The Russian government has ratified a protocol to protect the Caspian Sea from pollution from land-based sources, signed in Moscow in 2012 by five Caspian countries, TASS reports citing Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor.

“Ensuring the environmental safety of the Caspian is one of the priorities of our country. Yesterday the Russian government ratified the Protocol on the Protection of the Caspian Sea from Pollution from Land-based Sources and from Land-based Activities to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. The document was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin,” Radionova wrote in her Telegram channel.

It should be noted that the purpose of the document is to prevent, reduce, control and, to the maximum extent possible, eliminate pollution of the marine environment from land-based sources and as a result of activities carried out on land.

“It is planned that the ratification of this protocol will contribute to the use of the best available technologies and environmental practices in the implementation of economic activities in the waters of the sea and in its coastal zone. In addition, a database will be created on the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of the marine environment and coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, including the volume of pollutants entering the sea from land-based sources. This will allow for a regular assessment of the state of the marine environment and coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, an assessment of the level of sea pollution along its coastline,” the source notes.