Address to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal

An appeal to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmygal, regarding the development of a draft form for reporting administrative data on the volume of illegal logging by forest users of all forms of ownership.

What is the problem with current reporting forms?

There is a lack of information about officially registered illegal logging in all forests of Ukraine.The Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Judicial Administration only partially collects information on offenses related to illegal logging. Reporting on illegal felling on nature reserves, communal, industrial, and private forestsis not carried out; additionally, there is a lack of effective criminal prosecution of offenders. The absence of a clear reporting mechanism creates an opportunity for abuses by forest users, and perpetuates a lack of understanding g on the scale of environmental damage occurring in Ukrainian forests.

What solution do we propose?

We propose to create a working group to draft a new administrative form for reporting illegal logging and intended for forest users and corresponding  types of ownership, as well as instructions for filling it out. The group would be directed by the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine with the participation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Judicial Administration as well as other interested stakeholders.

Public reporting on the state of illegal logging will provide the public with accessibility in terms of knowledge and the effectiveness   of combating illegal logging by forest users of all forms of ownership. Additionally, it will help with prosecuting those responsible.