News
The Department of Environmental Supervision enforces strict control over the illegal harvesting and transportation of boxwood
The Department of Environmental Supervision under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, enforces strict nationwide control over the illegal harvesting and transportation of boxwood in the period preceding Palm Sunday.
Crews of the Department of Environmental Supervision patrol nationwide 24 hours a day to closely monitor areas where cases of illegal harvesting and transportation of boxwood have been recorded in recent years.
Colchic boxwood is a species protected under the Red List. Its cutting, uprooting, or branch damage is punishable by law. This violation carries a fine ranging from 500 to 2,500 GEL. In cases where the environmental damage caused by illegal harvesting of boxwood exceeds 1,000 GEL, the act is classified as a criminal offense.
Boxwood may only be harvested from nurseries or artificially planted plantations located on private property, based on a certificate of origin issued by the relevant local government authority.
The Department of Environmental Supervision urges the public not to violate the law. In case of a violation, citizens are encouraged to call the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture’s hotline at 153 (toll-free and with guaranteed anonymity), so that the Department’s staff can respond appropriately to each reported incident.
