Kazakhstan says it has allocated $2.2 million to strengthen scientific monitoring of the Caspian Sea amid growing concern over falling water levels, biodiversity loss and rising industrial pressure on the world’s largest inland body of water.
The funds will be used to purchase equipment for offshore monitoring and to upgrade hydrobiological and hydrochemical laboratories. According to the government, the investment will allow the institute to move towards comprehensive monitoring directly in the sea’s waters, including systematic observation of hydrometeorological and biological indicators, strengthening the scientific basis for policy decisions.
At the same time, the institute says it's expanding international cooperation by joining the Association of Universities and Research Centres of Caspian littoral states. The Cabinet of Ministers has stressed that without coordinated action among all countries bordering the sea, effective conservation measures will remain difficult to achieve.
The project is under direct government oversight. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has instructed the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to ensure the full implementation of Caspian-related research, while the Ministry of Finance has been tasked with strict control over the targeted use of the allocated funds.
The Caspian Sea remains a strategic natural asset for Kazakhstan. With a coastline stretching 2,320 km, the longest among all Caspian states, the country bears particular responsibility for the condition of the sea, which plays a significant role in the economic and social development of western regions.
Scientific assessments point to increasingly alarming trends. According to Kazakh researchers, the level of the Caspian Sea is showing a persistent decline and could approach minus 33 metres by 2050, while a drop to minus 28.5 metres is already considered critical for both the ecosystem and maritime economic activity.
Environmental experts link the degradation to climate change, reduced river inflows due to water regulation, expanding oil extraction and transportation, and pollution from ships’ ballast water. Scientists warn that continued sea level decline could have irreversible consequences for the region, prompting growing calls for a multinational conservation coalition involving all five Caspian states to prevent the sea from following the path of the Aral Sea.
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Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
A senior delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been holding meetings with Georgian government officials, opposition leaders and security authorities this week, as international observers attempt to gauge the country’s political climate following last year’s contentious elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, that violations of Turkish airspace by Iran could not be justified “for any reason whatsoever.”
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