Article 1. Amendment and additions shall be introduced to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 26, 1997 No. 543-I “On the Protection and Use of Flora” (Bulletin of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 1998, No. 1, Article 12; 2000, No. 5-6, Article 153; Bulletin of the Chambers of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2011, No. 1, Article 1; 2013, No. 4, Article 98; 2014, No. 9, Article 244) and its new version shall be approved (attached).

Article 2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

bring government decisions into conformity with this Law;

ensure revision and repeal of departmental normative legal acts contradicting this Law.

Article 3. This Law shall enter into force from the date of its official publication.

The purpose of this Law is to regulate relations in the field of protection and use of flora.

Legislation on protection and use of flora shall consist of this Law and other legislative acts.

If an international treaty of the Republic of Uzbekistan establishes rules other than those provided for by the legislation on protection and use of flora, the rules of the international treaty shall apply.

The following basic concepts are applied in this Law:

botanical collection — a systematized set of wild flora specimens of scientific, cultural-educational, training and aesthetic significance (herbaria, seeds), as well as wild flora cultivated under artificial conditions (botanical gardens, dendrology gardens, nurseries, plantations and others);

wild flora — uncultivated trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, mosses, algae, lichens and fungi;

products of vital activity of wild flora — roots, bulbs, stems, branches, bark, leaves, buds, flowers, seeds, fruits, sap (resin) and other products formed as a result of the vital activity of wild flora;

flora — all types of wild flora growing in natural conditions or cultivated under artificial conditions in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

protection of flora — activities aimed at ensuring favorable conditions for the vital activity of flora, preventing its destruction or other harmful impact;

biotechnical measures on protection and rational use of flora — a set of scientifically based measures aimed at preserving, restoring, reproducing and rationally using flora, and at preserving the environment where it grows.

Flora shall be a national asset, subject to rational use and protected by the state.

Wild flora growing in natural conditions shall be state property.

Wild flora cultivated under artificial conditions may be the property of legal entities or individuals.

Objects of flora shall consist of:

wild flora;

products of vital activity of wild flora;

botanical collections.

Legal entities and individuals may be users of flora.

Users of flora shall exercise their rights to use flora in accordance with conditions and procedure established by legislation.

The main directions of the state policy in the field of protection and use of flora shall include:

development and implementation of state programs and other measures in the field of protection and use of flora;

establishment of norms in the field of protection and use of flora by the state;

exercising state control in the field of protection and use of flora;

development of scientific research in the field of protection and use of flora;

development of international cooperation in the field of protection and use of flora.

State administration in the field of protection and use of flora shall be carried out within their competence by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Agency for Plant Quarantine and Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as local executive authorities.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

ensure implementation of a unified state policy in the field of protection and use of flora;

approve and implement state programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

coordinate within its competence the activities of republican executive authorities and economic management bodies in the field of protection and use of flora;

adopt decisions on the establishment of protected natural territories of national importance.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan may also exercise other powers in accordance with legislation.

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

participate in the development and implementation of state programs and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

participate in the development of normative legal acts in the field of protection and use of flora;

organize the development and approve rules, norms and standards in the field of protection and use of flora;

exercise state control in the field of protection and use of flora;

adopt decisions on applying financial sanctions in the form of fines to legal entities for illegal cutting or destruction of valuable species of trees and shrubs not belonging to the state forest fund;

maintain state records of objects of flora and their use volumes in the prescribed manner;

maintain state records of nurseries and plantations where wild flora is cultivated;

maintain the state cadastre of flora objects;

maintain the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan and ensure its publication;

conduct state environmental expertise in the field of protection and use of flora;

issue permits to legal entities and individuals for special use of flora objects in accordance with this Law;

carry out biotechnical measures for the protection and rational use of flora in protected natural territories assigned to it.

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan may also exercise other powers in accordance with legislation.

The Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

participate in the development and implementation of state programs and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

participate in the development of normative legal acts in the field of protection and use of flora;

participate in the development and approval of rules, norms and standards in the field of protection and use of flora in the lands of the state forest fund;

exercise departmental control in the field of protection and use of flora in the lands of the state forest fund;

maintain state records of flora objects in the lands of the state forest fund and their use volumes in the prescribed manner;

participate in maintaining the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

issue permits to legal entities and individuals for special use of flora objects in the lands of the state forest fund;

carry out biotechnical measures for the protection and rational use of flora in the lands of the state forest fund.

The Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan may also exercise other powers in accordance with legislation.

The Agency for Plant Quarantine and Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

participate in the development and implementation of state programs and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

participate in the development of normative legal acts in the field of protection and use of flora;

implement the system of state measures on external and internal quarantine of plants;

establish measures for combating quarantine pests in flora and exercise control over their implementation;

conduct monitoring in order to prevent the spread of quarantine pests in flora;

jointly with authorized bodies in the field of protection and use of flora ensure application of effective and advanced methods of combating plant quarantine objects and exercise control over their use;

protect the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan from penetration from foreign countries of quarantine and other dangerous pests, plant diseases and weeds that may cause serious damage to sectors of the economy;

exercise state control over compliance with the established rules in the production, procurement, transportation, storage, processing, sale and use of agricultural and other products of plant origin, and establish plant quarantine;

establish specialized fumigation units to combat plant quarantine objects, provide services to household plots, farms and dehkan farms, forestry enterprises, as well as other legal entities and individuals in combating plant quarantine objects;

carry out quarantine inspection and laboratory expertise of products under plant quarantine and carriers of plant quarantine objects exported and imported into the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Agency for Plant Quarantine and Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan may also exercise other powers in accordance with legislation.

Local public authorities shall:

participate in the development and implementation of state programs and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

develop, approve and implement territorial programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

approve norms for haymaking and grazing of livestock in natural hayfields and pastures;

exercise state control in the field of protection and use of flora in the relevant territory;

consider issues of establishing protected natural territories of local significance in the prescribed manner.

Local public authorities may also exercise other powers in accordance with legislation.

The Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall:

participate in the development and implementation of state programs and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

maintain, in the prescribed manner, state records of objects of flora and of the volumes of their use;

provide scientific support for maintaining the state cadastre of objects of flora and the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

issue opinions in the field of protection and use of flora in cases provided for by this Law;

determine scientific directions, develop and implement research programs in the field of protection and use of flora.

The Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan may also participate, in accordance with legislation, in other measures to ensure the protection and rational use of flora.

Citizens’ self-government bodies, non-governmental non-profit organizations and citizens shall:

participate in the implementation of state, territorial and other programs in the field of protection and use of flora;

exercise public control in the field of protection and use of flora.

Citizens’ self-government bodies, non-governmental non-profit organizations and citizens may also participate, in accordance with legislation, in other measures to ensure the protection and rational use of flora.

Protection of flora shall be carried out through:

establishing rules, norms and standards in the field of protection and use of flora, as well as norms for the use of objects of flora;

introducing restrictions and prohibitions on the use of objects of flora;

suspending, terminating and revoking the right of special use of objects of flora;

preventing unauthorized use of objects of flora and other violations of the established procedure for their use;

organizing protection of the environment in which flora grows;

including species of wild-growing plants that are rare and endangered in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

preventing harmful impacts on flora or its destruction in the course of economic or other activities;

establishing and developing protected natural territories;

establishing botanical gardens and dendrological gardens;

cultivating wild-growing plants under artificially created conditions;

conducting quarantine measures to protect flora, timely detect and eradicate quarantine and other dangerous pests, plant diseases and weeds;

taking objects of flora into state record and accounting for the volumes of their use;

maintaining the state cadastre of objects of flora and carrying out flora monitoring;

exercising control in the field of protection and use of flora;

regulating the import into and export from the Republic of Uzbekistan of objects of flora;

organizing and conducting scientific research in the field of protection and use of flora;

conducting state environmental expertise in the field of protection and use of flora;

conducting biotechnical and other measures for the protection and rational use of flora.

To ensure the protection and rational use of flora, state record of objects of flora and accounting for the volumes of their use shall be carried out.

The ministries, departments and organizations maintaining state records of objects of flora and accounting for the volumes of their use shall provide, free of charge, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the information necessary for the state cadastre of objects of flora. The types, scope and deadlines for providing the necessary information for the state cadastre of objects of flora shall be established by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

For the purpose of ensuring the protection and rational use of flora, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, shall maintain the state cadastre of objects of flora.

The maintenance of the state record of objects of flora and accounting for the volumes of their use, as well as the maintenance of the state cadastre of objects of flora, shall be financed from the State budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan and other sources not prohibited by legislation.

The procedure for maintaining the state record of objects of flora and accounting for the volumes of their use, and for maintaining the state cadastre of objects of flora, shall be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Species of wild-growing plants that are rare and endangered shall be included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Actions (omissions) that may lead to a decrease in the number of species of wild-growing plants that are rare and endangered or to degradation of their habitat shall not be allowed.

In order to preserve and protect species of wild-growing plants that are rare and endangered, protected natural territories may be established in the areas of their habitat.

Botanical gardens may be established for the purposes of conserving flora and its gene pool; studying, acclimatizing and reproducing, under artificially created conditions, species of wild-growing plants that are rare and endangered; conducting scientific, educational and instructional activities; and promoting knowledge on the protection and rational use of flora.

Botanical gardens shall be divided into botanical gardens of national importance and botanical gardens of local importance, which shall be established respectively by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan or by a decision of local public authorities.

Activities that are not consistent with the purposes for which botanical gardens are established and that threaten the conservation of flora shall be prohibited within botanical gardens.

Dendrological gardens may be established for the purposes of conserving, under artificially created conditions, diverse plant species; studying them; and conducting scientific activities related to their use for cultural-educational, instructional, recreational and aesthetic purposes.

Dendrological gardens shall be divided into dendrological gardens of national importance and dendrological gardens of local importance, which shall be established respectively by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan or by a decision of local public authorities.

Activities that are not consistent with the purposes for which dendrological gardens are established and that threaten the conservation of flora shall be prohibited within dendrological gardens.

Reproduction of flora shall be carried out for the purpose of creating favorable conditions for the growth of wild-growing plant species in the natural environment or cultivating them under artificially created conditions.

Reproduction of flora shall be ensured by users of objects of flora through:

conducting biotechnical measures for the protection and rational use of flora;

creating favorable conditions for the natural reproduction and restoration of flora;

conducting scientific research in the field of protection and use of flora;

cultivating wild-growing plant species under artificially created conditions and planting them.

Reproduction of flora may also be ensured by other means in accordance with legislation.

Activities of legal entities and individuals that affect the environment in which flora grows shall be carried out in compliance with the requirements for the protection and use of flora.

The siting and operation of production facilities that may adversely affect the environment in which flora grows, the introduction of new technologies, the conduct of geological exploration, the extraction of minerals, and the designation of grazing areas and livestock drive routes shall be agreed with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as appropriate.

The commissioning of production facilities and the application of technologies that do not meet the requirements for the protection and use of flora shall be prohibited.

When applying plant protection products, growth stimulants, mineral fertilizers and other preparations, the requirements for protecting the environment in which flora grows must be observed. In order to prevent deterioration of the environment in which flora grows, legal entities and individuals shall comply with the rules for transporting, storing and applying such preparations.

It shall be prohibited to destroy plants arbitrarily in their natural environment, including by burning.

The import into and export from the Republic of Uzbekistan of wild-growing plants, as well as their parts, life-activity products and botanical collections shall be carried out on the basis of permits issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Wild-growing plants, as well as their parts, life-activity products and botanical collections seized when attempting to import them into or export them from the Republic of Uzbekistan unlawfully shall be confiscated in the manner determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Monitoring of flora is an integral part of State Monitoring of the Natural Environment and consists of specially organized regular observations of the condition of flora and the environment in which it grows, identification of changes therein, their assessment and forecasting.

Monitoring of flora shall be carried out in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Oversight in the field of protection and use of flora shall be carried out as state, departmental, production and public oversight.

State oversight in the field of protection and use of flora shall be carried out by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan and by local public authorities.

Departmental oversight in the field of protection and use of flora shall be carried out on lands of the State Forest Fund by the Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and in organizations subordinate to republican executive bodies, as well as in organizations within the structure of economic management bodies, by the respective republican executive bodies and economic management bodies.

Production oversight in the field of protection and use of flora shall be carried out by business entities within the territories assigned to them.

Public oversight in the field of protection and use of flora may be exercised by citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan, citizens’ self-government bodies, non-governmental non-profit organizations and mass media.

The procedure for exercising oversight in the field of protection and use of flora shall be established by legislation.

Legal entities and individuals that ensure the protection and rational use of flora, as well as the protection and improvement of the condition of the environment in which it grows, may be granted benefits in accordance with legislation.

The basic requirements relating to the protection and use of flora shall be:

conservation, under natural conditions, of species diversity and the gene pool of flora;

conservation of the environment in which flora grows;

rational use, restoration and reproduction of flora;

regulation of the distribution and abundance of wild-growing plants.

Biotechnical measures for the protection and rational use of flora that are developed and approved by users of objects of flora shall be agreed with the bodies for ecology, environmental protection and climate change.

Activities that affect the condition of flora shall be carried out in compliance with the requirements relating to the protection and use of flora.

The following shall be subject to state environmental expertise:

materials for the selection of land plots for all types of construction, and pre-planning, pre-design and design documentation, the implementation of which may adversely affect the condition of flora or the environment in which it grows;

projects for relocating and hybridizing wild-growing plants;

plant protection products, plant growth stimulants, mineral fertilizers and other preparations.

State environmental expertise in the field of protection and use of flora shall be conducted in the manner established by legislation on environmental expertise.

The use of flora objects shall be carried out in the order of general use and special use.

General use of flora objects by individuals shall be exercised free of charge, in limited volumes for satisfying vital needs, by the types of use of flora objects provided for in paragraphs five, six, seven and ten of part one of Article 33 of this Law.

The norms and procedure for general use of flora objects shall be established by local public authorities in agreement with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as the regional and Tashkent city departments of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Special use of flora objects shall be carried out for a fee on the basis of permits.

Permits for special use of flora objects shall be issued within the limits of quotas approved in accordance with this Law.

Flora objects may be granted for permanent or temporary (long-term and short-term) use.

The removal of rare and endangered wild plant species from the natural environment shall be permitted on the basis of a permit issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, taking into account the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan and on the basis of a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Rare and endangered wild plant species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan may be used, when removed from the natural environment, for carrying out scientific research aimed at their preservation, protection, reproduction and restoration.

Seeds, seedlings and saplings of rare and endangered wild plant species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan, grown in nurseries and plantations and planted in the natural environment, may not be harvested for seeds or yield before three years have passed from planting.

Issuance of permits for removal from the natural environment of certain rare and endangered wild plant species and their parts included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan may be restricted. The grounds for restrictions, the species and parts of wild plants to which the restrictions apply, as well as the duration of such restrictions, shall be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of proposals submitted by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, taking into account the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Users of flora objects shall have the right to:

use flora objects in accordance with the legislation on the protection and use of flora;

restoration of their violated rights in the use of flora objects and compensation for damage caused to them;

ownership of wild plants and their products of vital activity.

Users of flora objects shall be obliged to:

comply with the rules established in the field of protection and use of flora, as well as the norms and standards for the use of flora objects;

rationally use flora objects granted for use;

implement measures for the protection and reproduction of flora, and exercise departmental and (or) production control in the field of protection and use of flora in the assigned territories;

observe fire safety requirements and carry out fire prevention measures in places of use of flora objects, and in case of fires, take measures to extinguish them;

make timely payment for special use of flora objects;

regularly monitor the condition of flora in order to identify quarantine and other dangerous pests, plant diseases and weeds in a timely manner, and in case of detection, take measures to eliminate identified outbreaks;

implement biotechnical measures for the protection and rational use of flora;

not violate the rights of other users of flora objects;

fully compensate for the damage caused as a result of violation of the requirements of legislation on the protection and use of flora.

Users of flora objects may also have other rights and bear other obligations in accordance with the law.

Types of use of flora objects shall include:

harvesting wild plants for livestock needs;

grazing

use of flora objects for hunting and (or) fishing farm needs;

collection and harvesting of wild plants as technical raw materials;

collection and harvesting of wild plants as medicinal raw materials;

collection and harvesting of wild plants for food purposes;

cutting of trees and shrubs;

use of flora objects for scientific and monitoring purposes;

use of flora objects for cultural-educational, training, health improvement, recreational and aesthetic purposes;

use of flora objects for environmental protection purposes;

regulation of the distribution and number of certain wild plant species;

transplantation and hybridization of wild plants;

creation and replenishment of botanical collections.

Other types of use of flora objects may also be provided for by legislation.

Harvesting of wild plants for livestock needs and grazing of livestock by users of flora objects shall be carried out in natural hayfields and pastures specially allocated for these purposes.

Harvesting of wild plants for livestock needs and grazing of livestock shall be permitted:

in natural hayfields and pastures of the state forest fund — on the basis of forest tickets;

in land plots owned by landowners, land users, tenants and land plot owners — with their consent;

in lands of settlements (cities, urban-type settlements and rural settlements) and in reserve lands — on the basis of decisions of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and the regional and Tashkent city departments of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The use of flora objects for hunting and (or) fishing farm needs by legal entities and individuals shall be carried out in the hunting and (or) fishing areas assigned to them, without removing flora objects from their natural environment, in compliance with the requirements of protection and use of flora.

Collection and harvesting of wild plants for technical and medicinal raw materials and for food purposes by individuals for personal consumption shall be permitted in the order of general use.

Collection and harvesting of wild plants for technical and medicinal raw materials and for food purposes by users of flora objects shall be permitted on the basis of permits granting the right of special use of flora objects.

The procedure for collection and harvesting of wild plants for technical and medicinal raw materials and for food purposes, as well as the list of wild plant species prohibited for such use, including rare and endangered wild plant species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan, shall be established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Cutting of trees and shrubs in the lands of the state forest fund shall be carried out under forest tickets, in accordance with the rules of sanitary and care felling, taking into account the protection categories of forests.

Cutting of trees and shrubs not included in the state forest fund shall be permitted only in the order of sanitary felling and felling related to the construction and reconstruction of buildings, structures and communications, on the basis of permits issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the regional and Tashkent city departments of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Cutting of trees and shrubs not included in the state forest fund that have been damaged, are drying out or have dried out under the influence of natural factors or plant pests and diseases, as well as trees and shrubs posing a threat to the life and health of people or to the safety of the property of legal entities and individuals, shall be carried out free of charge on the basis of permits issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the regional and Tashkent city departments of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Use of flora objects for scientific and monitoring purposes shall be permitted both with and without removing wild plants from their natural environment.

Special land plots may be allocated in accordance with the law to a user of flora objects for scientific and monitoring purposes. In such land plots, use of flora objects by other legal entities and individuals shall be restricted or prohibited if it does not correspond to the purposes of scientific and monitoring activities.

Use of flora objects for scientific and monitoring purposes shall be permitted in the order established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Use of flora objects for cultural-educational, training, health improvement, recreational and aesthetic purposes shall be permitted both with and without removing wild plants from their natural environment.

Use of flora objects for cultural-educational, training, health improvement, recreational and aesthetic purposes shall be permitted for flora objects of ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic value, as well as for flora objects having medicinal and health improvement properties.

The procedure for use of flora objects for cultural-educational, training, health improvement, recreational and aesthetic purposes shall be established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Use of flora objects for environmental protection purposes shall be permitted in compliance with the requirements provided for in this Law on the protection and use of flora.

Regulation of the distribution and number of certain wild plant species (toxic, narcotic, quarantine plants, weeds and other plants that naturally spread into arable lands, hayfields and pastures) shall be carried out by methods excluding damage to other wild plants, their habitats and other objects of environmental protection.

The certain wild plant species subject to regulation of distribution and number, as well as the rules of such regulation, shall be determined by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, taking into account the conclusions of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Transplantation and hybridization of wild plants shall be permitted for scientific and economic purposes, in the order established by decision of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, taking into account the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Creation and replenishment of botanical collections by legal entities and individuals shall be permitted on the basis of permits issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Botanical collections of scientific, cultural-educational, training or aesthetic value shall be subject to state registration. A certificate of state registration of a botanical collection shall be issued by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Legal entities and individuals creating and replenishing botanical collections shall comply with the rules for registration, replenishment, as well as for import into and export from the Republic of Uzbekistan of botanical collections approved by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The norms and standards for the use of flora objects consist of:

quotas, approved by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan taking into account the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, for the collection and harvesting of wild plants for technical and medicinal raw materials and for food purposes;

norms for mowing hay in natural hayfields and for grazing livestock on pastures, approved by local government authorities in accordance with legislation.

Other norms and standards for the use of flora objects may also be established by legislation.

A permit for special use of flora objects shall be issued:

for all species of wild plants not included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan growing on lands not belonging to the state forest fund, as well as for rare and endangered species of wild plants included in the Red Book throughout the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan — by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

for all species of wild plants not included in the Red Book growing on lands of the state forest fund — by the Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

for the preparation of wild plants for livestock needs and for grazing livestock — by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and by the regional and Tashkent city departments of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

No permit is required for cutting trees and shrubs (poplars and other fast-growing species, mulberry groves, fruit trees and shrubs) that have been specially planted for timber production and fruit cultivation and are the property of a legal or natural person.

For the purpose of protecting certain species of wild plants, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan may, taking into account the conclusions of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, establish restrictions or prohibitions on the use of such plant species or on certain types of their use.

In the interests of protecting flora, the rights of landowners, land users, lessees and owners of land plots, as well as users of forests and water, water consumers, and users of subsoil may be restricted, and appropriate obligations may be imposed on them, in the manner prescribed by law.

To ensure the protection of flora, the right of special use of flora objects may be suspended, terminated or revoked.

The right of special use of flora objects may be suspended in the following cases:

when violations of permitting requirements and conditions are detected;

when the decision of the competent state body to eliminate detected violations is not complied with by users of flora objects.

The right of special use of flora objects shall be terminated in the following cases:

when the need for use no longer exists or the user renounces it;

upon expiry of the period of use;

when legislation on the protection and use of flora is violated;

when there is a threat of irreversible changes and deterioration in conditions for the life activity of flora, when flora is destroyed, or otherwise adversely impacted;

when land plots are seized for public needs;

upon the death of an individual to whom the right was granted or cessation of that individual’s activity, or upon liquidation of a legal entity.

Other grounds for suspension or termination of the right of special use of flora objects may also be established by legislation.

The right of special use of flora objects may be revoked on the basis of:

an application by the user of flora objects to cancel the permitting document;

establishment of the fact that the permitting document was obtained using forged documents.

Suspension, termination or revocation of the right of special use of flora objects shall be carried out in the manner prescribed by law.

Wild plants and their life-activity products collected and harvested in violation of legislation on the protection and use of flora, as well as botanical collections created and replenished in violation of such legislation, shall be subject to seizure. Where seizure is impossible, their value shall be recovered from the culpable persons in the amount and manner provided for by law.

Legal entities and individuals shall compensate, in the manner prescribed by law, for damage caused by violation of legislation on the protection and use of flora.

Compensation for damage does not exempt the culpable persons from liability in accordance with the law.

If valuable species of trees and shrubs not included in the state forest fund are illegally cut and/or destroyed, the person who committed the offense shall, at their own expense and by decision of the body of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, plant in the place where the trees and shrubs were cut and/or destroyed (and, if there is insufficient land at that place for planting, plant the remaining seedlings at another site within the relevant administrative-territorial unit) one hundred tree and shrub seedlings of no less value than the trees and shrubs cut and/or destroyed, for each illegally cut and/or destroyed tree or shrub, and shall maintain them for three years.

If the decision of the body of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan referred to in part one of this article is not voluntarily fulfilled by the offender, the issue of planting, in the place where the trees and shrubs were cut and/or destroyed and at another site within the relevant administrative-territorial unit, one hundred tree and shrub seedlings of no less value than the trees and shrubs cut and/or destroyed for each illegally cut and/or destroyed tree or shrub, and of maintaining them for three years, shall be resolved in court.

The procedure for determining the value of illegally cut and/or destroyed trees and shrubs, the species of seedlings to be planted in lieu thereof, as well as the time limits and locations for planting shall be established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

For illegal cutting or destruction of valuable species of trees and shrubs not included in the state forest fund, financial sanctions in the form of fines in the amount from one hundred to three hundred basic calculation units shall be applied to legal entities.

The financial sanctions provided for in part one of this article shall be applied by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan if the legal entities admit their guilt in the detected violations; where a dispute exists or where the legal entity does not voluntarily pay the amount of the financial sanction within one month from the date of receipt of the decision of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the issue of applying the financial sanction shall be resolved by the court.

Disputes in the field of protection and use of flora shall be settled in the manner prescribed by law.

Persons guilty of violating legislation on the protection and use of flora shall be liable in the manner prescribed by law.