At the Nov. 21 meeting government, MPs of the Legislative Chamber passed the bill toughening penalties for illegal tree cutting.

In August the President of Uzbekistan rejected a law adopted by Parliament and approved by the Senate to toughen penalties for illegal cutting of trees. The document was rejected due to low fines.

The new bill proposed to significantly increase fines for cutting down trees, and an obligation to plant trees in the same place where they were cut down, and also fines for legal entities (currently only individuals and officials are punished).

According to the proposed amendments, the fine is planned to be upped on average five times for illegal cutting, uprooting, damage, destruction or replanting of trees, shrubs, other plants and young growth (Article 79 of the Code of Administrative Liability): for individuals the fine will be from 25 to 50 basic calculated units BCU=330 thousand soums, or 27 USD (currently - 5 to 10 BCU, previously 10-15 BCU were proposed), and for officials - from 50 to 75 BCU (now - from 10 to 15 BCU, 15-20 BCU were proposed).

For the same offenses committed again within a year after the application of an administrative penalty (Part 2 of Article 79 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), a fine for individuals is proposed in the amount of 50 to 75 BCU (now - from 10 to 20 BCU), and for officials - from 75 up to 100 BCU (20−30 BCU) with confiscation of the item that was the instrument of commission or the direct subject of the administrative offense. While, the list of penalties for this violation includes administrative arrest for up to 15 days.

The Protection and Use of Flora Law is also being amended to provide for the obligation to plant trees and shrubs instead of those cut down, as well as to care for them. In addition, a separate fine is introduced for legal entities for illegal cutting of valuable varieties of trees and shrubs in the amount of 100 to 300 BCU (from December 1 - 34 million to 102 million soums).

As MP Odiljon Tozhiev emphasized, in addition to a fine of up to 102 million soums, legal entities will be required to plant 100 trees at their own expense instead of each illegally cut down tree and take care of them for three years. In cases where there is not enough land area in this place for planting seedlings of trees and shrubs, the rest of the seedlings shall be planted elsewhere in the corresponding administrative-territorial unit.

The bill was approved by 105 deputies, 7 did not vote, and there were no abstentions or no votes against. The document has been sent for consideration to the Senate.