The endangered Caspian Sea may justget a new lease of life: 5countries ringing the sea -Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan andIran - have jointly decidedto draw up an environmentalaction plan to protect thewaterbody from pollution,oil projects and illegalfishing.
The major threat to theCaspian Sea is the flow ofindustrial waste from largerivers like the Volga andthe Ural. Other worriesfor the Caspian countries arethe possible effects ofnumerous offshore projectsto exploit the sea's oilreserves. Besides, illegal fishing has played havoc withthe sturgeon, which pro-duces the caviar the area isfamous for.