Environmental activists and residents of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, are concerned about the ongoing felling of trees. Recently, despite measures taken by the government, these problems have worsened, threatening the city’s ecosystem.
The problems associated with illegal felling of trees not only affect the environment but also have social aspects. A recent felling of 800 trees in one of the city’s districts caused a wide discussion among residents and environmental activists demanding protection of the capital’s green areas.
Aziza Uzakbergenova, Public Relations Specialist at the Ministry of Ecology, told CABAR.asia about the case details, noting that such massive felling of trees seriously affected the environment.
“On October 10 this year in Tashkent, Yunusabad district, Turkiston mahalla, Yukori Karakamysh Street, it became known about the felling of 800 trees of various species. These trees were planted in the spring of 2024 within the framework of the national project ‘Green Space’ and transferred to Active Asia Gold LLC and Turkiston mahalla based on the Act for Care and Protection. On the directions of P.B., an employee of Active Asia Gold LLC, 800 ornamental and fruit trees were destroyed, including 400 apple trees, 60 pomegranate trees, 190 paulownia, 40 catalpa, 30 cherry trees, 50 sweet cherry trees, 15 quince trees, 15 walnut trees. The trees were removed with the roots using special equipment on October 7 this year at 11 PM”, she said.
According to her, the damage totalled 943,125,000 sums (about $73,068). The collected documents have been sent to the Tashkent City Prosecutor’s Office for legal assessment.
The problem of tree felling is very sensitive for Tashkent residents who suffer from extreme heat in summer and remember how many public gardens were destroyed in Tashkent during the government of the former president, Islam Karimov.
In recent years, this problem has received increased attention, with large-scale work being carried out in the country to plant trees in residential areas, protect trees and shrubs, and expand green areas. These include the implementation of the national project ‘Yashil Makon’ (Green Space), aimed at increasing tree plantations, as well as the introduction of a moratorium on cutting down valuable species of trees and shrubs.
To prevent the destruction of the green spaces in the capital and other cities of the country, the Uzbek authorities have taken several measures over the past few years to toughen the penalties for illegal felling of trees.
For example, in 2022, a presidential decree declared an unlimited moratorium on tree felling. In 2023, a presidential decree classified tree felling as a serious crime against the environment.
In 2024, new articles were introduced in several laws providing for norms on compensation and planting of trees and shrubs to replace illegally felled or destroyed trees and shrubs, as well as on toughening financial sanctions for illegal felling or destruction of valuable species of trees and shrubs not included in the State Forest Fund.
Under the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan of November 21, 2024, Article 79 of the Administrative Responsibility Code was amended to provide that “during construction, reconstruction of buildings, structures, or other facilities, in case of violation of the established requirements, deliberate damage, destruction, or cutting of trees, shrubs, or other plants with the use of chemical or biological methods, a fine of thirty-five to fifty indicators for calculations shall be imposed on citizens for committing such an offence, and a fine of sixty to seventy-five indicators for calculations shall be imposed on officials (from 20,400,000 to 25,500,000 sums or from $1,500 to $1,975).
Meanwhile, Aziza Uzakbergenova reported that compared to the same period in 2023, illegal felling of valuable tree species has decreased by 35%.
“Within the framework of controlling compliance with the moratorium, 2,323 people were held liable this year with the imposition of fines and determination of damage to the amount of 18.1 billion sums ($1,402,000). Of these, 359 cases of imposing administrative fines of a total of 2.34 billion sums and 218 cases of determining damage to environment worth 2.45 billion sums ($189,812) were registered in Tashkent city in 2024,” she said.
Working groups set up in the regions within the framework of control measures have revealed so far that watering and maintenance of 19.7 million trees was not organised, and measures were not taken to ensure the rooting of planted trees. 15,117 mandatory instructions were issued to the responsible persons. 1,442 officials who failed to fulfil the requirements of mandatory instructions were identified and fined 3.82 billion sums (about $286,000).
However, despite tougher laws and a significant increase in penalties, tree felling in the capital continues.
Specialised environmental Telegram channels and local media report cases of damaging or felling of trees in Tashkent almost daily.
In December 2023, journalist and civil activist Nikita Makarenko wrote in his Telegram channel titled ‘Makarenko Effect’ about the forthcoming felling of trees on the land that was allocated for the construction of a residential complex in the Mirzo-Ulughbek district of the capital. The construction of this complex would have resulted in the felling of more than 50 trees.
At the same time, in the same neighbourhood, trees in front of multi-storey buildings No. 15 and 16 in the Boz-2 mahalla were excessively trimmed for the construction of car sheds.
In April 2023, under the pretext of improper transplanting, trees in front of a petrol station on the side of ‘Ecobazaar’ in the same Mirzo-Ulughbek district of Tashkent were destroyed. The workers uprooted some of the trees, and all this happened during the night.
An excavator digs up the ground in front of juniper shrubs in Tashkent’s Almazar district. Photo: ekolog.uz
In October 2024, the Telegram channel @ekologuz reported that an excavator levelled the ground in front of juniper shrubs on the territory of Kara Kamysh 1/3 residential area, on the bank of Kichkirik canal in Almazar district of Tashkent.
“We have been informed that the Toshkent Gullari Group company wants to concrete the above-mentioned area for parking their vehicles. Currently, the situation with trees is unclear. Our observers, having reported on the situation, asked for a legal assessment of this issue,” the ekologuz channel writes.
“Dozens of trees were damaged during construction work in front of houses located on Rihsili Street in the Yunusabad district of Tashkent. It seems that the roots of the trees are damaged, and they are in danger.” https://t.me/ekologuzru/11066
“During the moratorium period, 800 fruit and ornamental trees were destroyed in Tashkent. Why?” https://t.me/ekologuzru/11031
“A gas-piston cogeneration power plant is being built in the 6th microdistrict of Yunusabad district by the order of the Tashkent Heat Centre LLC. A small garden of 800 trees planted there by a businessman was destroyed during construction. It is reported that the damage to the environment is about 944 million sums.” https://kun.uz/25490515
Feruzbek Sayfullaev, spokesman for the ‘Ecolog’ public association, believes that the illegal cutting of trees in Uzbekistan is one of the country’s major environmental problems.
He notes that this phenomenon is observed in both urban and rural areas. While in rural areas trees are cut down illegally for landscaping or to meet the demand for wood, in urban areas, such cases are mainly related to construction projects.
“Some entrepreneurs who have not obtained building permits resort to illegal methods of tree felling. Such methods include concreting areas around trees or pouring chemical substances into the roots. As a result, such trees dry up, after which permits are issued for their cutting, which, in fact, legalises their destruction,” the environmental activist said.
Felling, damaging, or destroying valuable species of trees and shrubs that are not part of the State Forest Fund is strictly prohibited. However, in some regions, these requirements are not observed: large trees are trimmed even in the summer heat, which leads to their drying and subsequent cutting down. As a rule, new buildings are constructed in place of felled trees.
Sayfullaev emphasised that, according to the presidential decree, the moratorium on cutting down valuable species of trees and shrubs not included in the State Forest Fund was made unlimited, the amount of fines was increased fivefold, and the amount of damage caused to the environment was doubled. The government prohibited issuing new decrees and decisions to cut down or destroy trees in any case. However, all these strict measures are not always implemented everywhere, which does not allow to solve the problem fully.
Experts also point out that improper trimming of trees or concreting areas close to the roots also causes significant damage to the environment. This leads to the drying of trees, destruction of bird habitats, and deterioration of air quality in the city, further aggravating the environmental situation. Restoring green spaces requires a lot of effort, including soil care and the use of fertilisers.
To solve this problem, Feruzbek Sayfullaev suggests tightening environmental control at construction sites, strengthening information campaigns among the population and entrepreneurs about the importance of preserving trees, and strengthening environmental legislation and enforcing it.
“These measures will help strengthen the fight against illegal tree felling in Uzbekistan and contribute to preserving the country’s ecological balance,” Feruzbek Sayfullaev concluded.