President approves moratorium on cutting down trees 

The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on introduction from November 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020 of a moratorium on cutting down trees and shrubs that are not included in the state forest fund.

During the moratorium, authorized state bodies are prohibited from issuing permits to cut valuable species of trees and shrubs that are not part of the state forest fund.

The moratorium does not apply to:

- sanitary pruning and cutting of trees and shrubs damaged as a result of exposure to natural factors or pests, plant diseases, as well as threatening the safety of life and human health, property of legal entities and individuals;

- cutting down trees and shrubs (poplar and other fast-growing species, mulberry plantations, fruit trees and shrubs) grown to produce wood and fruits;

- cutting down trees and shrubs grown on plantations and/or owned by a legal entity or an individual.

Ministries and departments, as well as local government and executive bodies, strictly ensure conservation of trees and shrubs, including through the practice of replanting them, at the stage of selection and allocation of land for construction, as well as during the creation of engineering communication infrastructure (electricity, gas and water supply, sewage, railways and roads and others).

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to approve within a two-week period a set of organizational-legal measures to radically improve the system for protecting trees and shrubs.