Uzbekistan’s Ecoparty opposes lifting tree-cutting ban

Uzbekistan’s Ecological Party has strongly opposed a proposal by Murad Nazarov, founder of Murad Buildings, to lift the moratorium on tree cutting in Tashkent, Kursiv.media reported. The party’s position was voiced by MP Javlon Abdullayev.

Nazarov had suggested canceling the moratorium, arguing that trees are inevitably damaged during construction. He proposed a “tree bank” system where new trees would be planted in advance in areas slated for development.

However, the Ecoparty criticized this approach, stating that in an era of water shortages and climate change, each mature tree is critically important. Growing such a tree takes decades of care and investment.

Abdullayev noted that the moratorium helped preserve more than 98% of urban trees. In the first half of 2025 alone, 3,200 applications to cut trees were rejected, protecting 453,200 trees, including 86,000 of valuable species.

Ecologists also pointed out that many replacement saplings dry out and fail to take root, questioning the effectiveness of compensation-based planting.

“We firmly state: any development, construction, or renovation must be carried out in balance with environmental interests, not at their expense,” the Ecoparty said.