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Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have united to protect the Caspian Sea, which they all border. A document called The Caspian Convention, which is the first legally binding document on any subject to be adopted by these five nations, lays out a protection plan that went into effect on August 12. "The Caspian Sea's fragile environment is extremely vulnerable to the region's current boom in oil and gas exploration," said Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environment Program. Part of the sea's troubles stem from the overfishing of Caspian sturgeon, a fish whose eggs are farmed for caviar, and the heavy drilling of the area's rich oil deposits.