Georgia tightens penalties for illegal logging

Georgia has moved to strengthen penalties for logging conducted without the required permits. This announcement was made by Natia Iordanishvili, Deputy Head of the country's National Forestry Agency.

According to Iordanishvili, individuals who repeatedly violate these regulations will now be subject to criminal charges.

"Before the amendments, a fine of 2,000 GEL was provided for the production and transportation of timber without appropriate documents in the first case, and 5,000 GEL in case of repetition. After the amendments, such a repeated action will be directly assessed as a criminal offense",

Natia Iordanishvili said.

The Deputy Head of the National Forestry Agency noted that forest degradation is observed in Georgia due to human activity and climate change.

She emphasized that forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and provide Georgia with environmental advantages over countries with less forested areas.

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