Nature Reserve for Conservation of the Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica)

© 2021. M.T. Baimukanov (1), K.B. Isbekov (2), А.U. Shagilbayev (1), S.Е. Ryskulov (1), А.М. Baimukanova (1).
(1) The Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, Irgeli, Kazakhstan.
(2) The Fisheries Research and Production Center, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Nature Reserve for Conservation of the Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica)

Abstract

The purpose of the research provided during 2015-2020 was the search of Caspian seal habitats and assessment of the number of haul-outs, its distribution and structure, as well as assessment of the disturbance factors during the hauling out periods. This work presents the main arguments for the organization of a specially protected area (SPA) in the Kazakhstani part of the Caspian Sea in the form of a state nature reserve, connected in one network with the existing SPAs. Rehabilitation centers for sick, weakened and injured seals should function as part of the nature reserve. In this network, on the basis of intergovernmental agreements, other Caspian countries’ SPAs can also be included in the future – that will serve as the basis for the creation of a transboundary nature reserve to preserve the Caspian seal population. The creation of the protected areas network will contribute to the constant and targeted monitoring of the status of the Caspian seal (a transboundary species and an indicator of the state of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea) in all the Caspian countries.

To download: Baimukanov et al. 2021.

Photo: Caspian seals hauling out on a sandy island in the Kendirli Bay, the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, October 04, 2016. Photo by the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology.