Caspian Sea Research Institute

In November 2022, at a meeting with the public of the Mangistau region, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev raised the acute environmental problems of the Caspian region and instructed government bodies to create a scientific institute that would carry out research on the Caspian Sea. On May 17, 2023, in order to implement the decision, a meeting was held by Atyrau Akimat (a regional government executive authority – Kaspika’s note), at which a project to create such an institution was discussed. The event was attended by representatives of Atyrau Akimat, the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MEGNR RK), regional and city councils, local state bodies, and environmentalists.

The future research institute will deal with the issues of a sharp drop in the level of the Caspian Sea, the causes of mass mortality of fish and Caspian seals, conduct environmental monitoring of the water area and coast of the Caspian Sea, and develop cooperation with partners from other Caspian countries.

According to MEGNR RK, the central research institute is planned to be built in Aktau, and its branch – in Atyrau. Financing of scientific activity will be from the national and regional budgets, international grants and other sources.

The Caspian Sea, Aktau, 2020. The photo by N.R. Shumeyko, Kaspika Caspian Seals Conservation Agency.