Mulberry tree felling in Jizzakh causes 738 million sums of damage to nature

A citizen in the Dustlik district of the Jizzakh region was found to have illegally cut down 13 mulberry trees, causing significant environmental damage amounting to 738 million 750 thousand sums. The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change reported the incident.

The ministry received an appeal from a local resident, D.N., regarding the illegal felling of mulberry trees. Upon investigation by the regional Ecology Department, it was determined that the trees were cut down along the banks of the Sarkisov canal, which runs through the Mevazor neighborhood in the Dustlik district. The action violated the provisions of Articles 4, 37, and 49 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Protection and Use of the Flora.”

Mulberry trees are classified as valuable tree species under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan No. 93, dated February 18, 2020, which aims to protect certain tree and shrub varieties not included in the State Forest Fund. The damage to the flora was initially valued at 369 million 375 thousand sums.

According to the Resolution No. 464, dated August 22, 2022, which imposed a moratorium on the felling of valuable tree species, the amount of recovery for such damage is doubled. As a result, the total damage was determined to be 738 million 750 thousand sums.

The case has been forwarded to the Dustlik District Prosecutor’s Office for further legal assessment and necessary action.

Earlier, in the Tashkent region, a citizen who cut down four walnut trees without permission was found responsible for 247 million 500 thousand sums in environmental damage.