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The Department of Environmental Supervision identified 127 cases of illegal forest use in January 2026
Employees of the Department of Environmental Supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture identified 127 cases of illegal forest use from January 1 to January 31, 2026.
Of the identified violations, 102 relate to the illegal harvesting and transportation of timber, while 25 concern breaches of technical regulations by sawmills and the operation of illegal sawmills. Six of the violations contain elements of a criminal offense. The case materials have been forwarded to the relevant authorities for further legal action.
In January 2026, three unregistered sawmills were sealed.
The Environmental Supervision Department’s patrolling and urgent response crews carry out continuous 24-hour monitoring across the country and implement preventive measures to ensure the timely prevention, suppression, and detection of illegal logging and other environmental violations. Immediate response is provided to every report received through the Ministry’s hotline (153).
Within the framework of combating poaching and other environmental crimes, the Department actively employs modern technologies, while enforcement mechanisms and sanctions have been strengthened. In 2025, compared to the previous year, the number of illegal forest use cases decreased by approximately 13%. Regarding the statistics of the past five years, in 2025 the number of such cases was approximately 50% lower compared to 2021. A reduction in violations is also reflected in the monthly indicators of the past and current years — in January 2025, compared to January 2026, the Department identified 20 more cases of illegal forest use, totaling 147 cases.
