Vladimir Putting was told about the program of the Caspian seal monitoring

Vladimir Putin met the participants of IV Young Scientists Congress – a main annual event of decade of science and technology in Russia (2022–2031), which took place on 27–29 November on the Sirius Federal Territory. Over seven thousand people from 62 countries around the world took part in its activities.

At the meeting with the President spoke Alimurad Gajiyev, the Vice-Rector in Scientific Work of the Dagestan State University, Deputy of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan from the Party “United Russia” and the Head of a scientific group of the program of the Compass Foundation of investigation and conservation of the population of the Caspian seal, with is implemented with the support from the NaftaGaz company. He reported the Head of the State on the program, emphasizing the issue of presence of threats for the biological diversity of the Caspian Sea. “Within the framework of the (Young Scientists) Congress we organized a subject session with employment of our colleagues from Kazakhstan “Endangered Species: Main Problems of Biological Diversity Conservation.” All the experts of the session shared the opinion that it is high time to bring our effort into accordance and develop a joint plan for the rescue of the Caspian seal, that it is the direction we need to go in. We are well aware that during your state visits to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan you discussed these issues with the Heads of the countries mentioned – Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Tokayev. We think that the results we achieved at “Sputnik” and the Congress may become a basis, which would enable us to develop the solutions, that would ensure the conservation of the Caspian seal.” – reported A. Gajiyev.

“You have raised a really important issue,” – remarked Vladimir Putin,  “at the meetings in Azerbaijan Ilham Geydarovich really spoke about that, and now in Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich also raised the issue: everyone is worried about the Caspian Sea shallowing, and, of course, it is necessary to pay attention towards the animal species, which obviously and notably suffer from this. But, in general, it is a big problem. By no means we should allow what happened to the Aral Sea: there is a lot of salt there, there are now only puddles left – that’s it. I don’t know whether we are able to do anything, even uniting our efforts, because nature is a very powerful system, nevertheless we must do whatever is possible. Moreover, after the trip to Baku we agreed with Ilham Geydarovich to jointly work on the issue. I have already given an instruction to the Government of the Russian Federation to prepare a corresponding action plan. And, of course, your involvement in this case shall be of the highest demand. I will definitively tell Mikhail Vladimirovich (Mishustin) about this in order to arrange the actions of the colleagues in the Government.”

In 2023 the oil service company NaftaGaz and National Foundation of Ecological Initiatives Support and Development Compass signed an agreement. Within the framework of collaboration, the joint activities, aimed at the system support and development of ecological initiatives, are organized, including those for protecting the populations of rare and endangered species of plants and animals. In particular, NaftaGaz became a partner of Compass in the program of monitoring and conservation of the Caspian seal, which is already been implemented for two years jointly with the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Dagestan State University and the Research Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientists are working to identify the causes of the decline in the population of this endangered animal, which plays an important role in the Caspian ecosystem.

According to the Director of the Compass Foundation, Tatiana Kovaleva, over the two years of the program implementation, 10 scientific expeditions have been carried out, and 20 camera traps have been installed to record the animals. As well, large-scale laboratory research has been carried out. Today, activists and scientists continue the investigation of the causes of the Caspian seal mortality. In the near future, the Foundation's staff will go to a new expedition, in which our colleague, an employee of NaftaGaz – a drilling foreman assistant Anatoly Khabarov will take part as a volunteer.

The population of the Caspian seal is in a critical condition after the mass mortality in December 2022. The investigations, performed jointly with the Compass Foundation in spring and summerб revealed critically low density of the seals in their seasonal habitats either on the island, or in the water area. In the IUCN Red List the Caspian seal has been classified as “Endangered”. This endemic species is included into the Red Data Books of all the Caspian countries.

The text prepared on the basis of the materials of the official site of the President of Russia http://kremlin.ru/ and TG-channel of Compass Eco-Foundation https://t.me/compassfund