News
The Department of Environmental Supervision has identified two illegal sawmills in Imereti
As part of efforts to combat illegal forest use, employees of the Western Regional Division of the Department of Environmental Supervision under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture have identified violations in the Khoni Municipality.
In the village of Matkhoji, citizens had installed unregistered band and circular sawmill equipment in their household yards. From the sites of the illegal sawmills, 21 units of round timber (logs) of various species and 3 cubic meters of primary processed wood (lumber) were seized.
As both cases contain elements of a criminal offense, the materials have been forwarded to the relevant authorities for further response.
The protection of natural resources is a top priority for the Department of Environmental Supervision. Within the framework of combating illegal logging, last year alone, more than 300 cases were identified in the operational area of the Western Regional Office, including 20 unregistered sawmills.
Crews of the Department of Environmental Supervision patrol nationwide 24 hours a day to promptly prevent, detect, and address illegal logging and other environmental violations. Immediate action is taken in response to every report received through the Ministry’s hotline (153).
