Ministry of Ecology responds to Murod Nazarov’s proposal to lift tree felling restrictions

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Earlier, businessman Murod Nazarov stated that restrictions on tree felling for construction purposes in Tashkent were misguided. He argued that developers were sometimes forced to cut down trees as they interfered with the construction process. The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change has issued an official response to these remarks.

According to the ministry, Uzbekistan, as a landlocked country, lacks significant natural sources of oxygen and has limited capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. More than 60 percent of the country’s territory consists of deserts and semi-deserts, making it especially vulnerable to climate change.

Furthermore, the rate of climate warming in Central Asia is occurring twice as fast as the global average. Over the past 30 years, temperatures in the region have risen by 1.5°C, compared to the global average increase of 0.7°C. In such conditions, green areas are critical to maintaining ecological balance, and the existing moratorium on tree felling is aimed precisely at preserving this balance.

The ministry emphasized that international experience shows how strict restrictions on tree felling are an effective tool for environmental protection and sustainable urban development:

•  In Germany, both forests and urban trees are protected by law. Felling a single tree in a public area without permission can result in fines of up to 50,000 euros. Compensatory measures in such cases are tightly regulated.
•  In the United Kingdom, violations of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) can lead to fines of up to £20,000 or even unlimited fines and imprisonment. In 2023, a man who cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree was sentenced to over four years in prison.
•  In Kazakhstan, under Article 340 of the Criminal Code, illegal tree felling can lead to a fine equivalent to 160 times the monthly calculation index (approximately $1,181) or up to 40 days in prison. Offenders may also have property confiscated.
•  In Russia, Article 260 of the Criminal Code stipulates a fine of up to 1 million rubles (around $12,770) or a prison sentence of up to four years. Offenders must also compensate for the damage and surrender any equipment used.

The Ministry reminded that Uzbekistan also enforces penalties for illegal tree felling. According to administrative regulations, individuals can be fined up to 5 base calculation amounts (BCAs), officials up to 10 BCAs, and legal entities up to 50 BCAs. If the offense causes significant damage, involves protected species, or is committed by a group, it can lead to imprisonment for up to three years. The penalties are even more severe for violations in protected natural areas.

In response to Nazarov’s proposal to introduce compensatory plantings and a “tree bank” as alternatives to the moratorium, the Ministry clarified that these mechanisms cannot fully replace the ecological role of mature trees:

•  A sapling cannot perform the same ecological functions as a mature tree — not in terms of carbon dioxide absorption, impact on the microclimate, or biodiversity. According to the European Environment Agency, a mature tree absorbs 21 kg of CO₂ per year, a capacity no sapling can match for decades.
•  The concept of “tree banking” can create opportunities for corruption and abuse. According to Human Rights Watch’s “Wild Money” report, compensatory planting programs have been misused in some countries to disguise illegal logging. In Uzbekistan, such programs are meant as supplementary measures, not alternatives to legal or criminal liability.

“Unfortunately, some representatives of the construction sector are resorting to, let’s say, ‘creative’ methods to bypass environmental regulations,” the Ministry stated.

It added that any attempt to revise the current moratorium is deeply concerning — especially at a time when many businesses are working to adopt ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, and when 2025 has been declared the “Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy.”

“In his remarks, Mr. Nazarov mentioned the use of various ‘methods’ to cut down trees by any means. In this regard, the Ministry believes that a full investigation by law enforcement agencies is needed to examine these practices thoroughly. We hope that the findings will help draw the necessary conclusions regarding his past actions.”

The Ministry concluded by stating that global best practices in sustainable construction are not based on cutting down greenery and attempting to compensate for it, but rather on preserving green spaces wherever possible.

“The Ministry is open to constructive dialogue — but not on revising the fundamental principles of the state’s environmental policy,” the statement said.