Georgia: The employees of the Environmental Supervision Department identified 137 facts of illegal forest use within the framework of their fight against illegal forest use. This identification was made between April 1 to April 30, 2025.Â
The Environmental Supervision Department works under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. Their main focus is on environmental protection, forestry, and climate change initiatives.
Notably, out of the identified violations, 98 relate to illegal logging and transportation of timber, and 39 are facts of violation of technical regulations by sawmills and illegal sawmills. Additionally, 15 facts of the violations contain signs of a criminal offense.
In total, more than 141 cubic meters of illegally harvested timber were seized. During the same period, 9 unregistered sawmills were sealed across the country. The materials were sent to the relevant agencies for further response.
Largest number of illegal forest use ever recorded
The largest number of illegal forest use ever recorded were 45 in Kakheti. 25 violations were recorded in Imereti, 21 in Adjara, 16 in Samtskhe-Javakheti, 13 in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Moreover, 7 violations were recorded in Shida Kartli, 4 in Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti, 4 in Guria, and one violation each was detected in Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli.
A Priority Of Environmental Supervision Department
The fight against illegal forest use is a priority for the Environmental Supervision Department. In the first four months of the current year, the department’s employees revealed 649 cases of illegal forest use across the country. They also seized 29 illegal sawmills.
The crews of the Environmental Supervision Department conduct 24-hour continuous patrols across the country. It is to timely prevent, detect and suppress illegal forest use, hunting, fishing and other environmental violations.
In addition, an immediate response is provided to each message received on the hotline (153) of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
