المملكة: 10,000 riyals per tree and 5,000 per meter… the bill for excessive logging

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture renewed its strict warnings regarding the practices of Unjust logging, revealing severe financial penalties amounting to 10,000 riyals, as part of the second edition of its national campaign, “Shatana Sah,” which aims to eliminate negative practices that threaten biodiversity, and consolidate the concepts of responsible hiking during the winter season to ensure the sustainability of natural resources and protect them from deterioration.

This firm official move comes as part of the ministry’s strategy to raise community awareness of the danger of logging, which has been classified as one of the main drivers. to the deterioration of vegetation cover and the depletion of priceless natural resources.

The Ministry directly linked the cutting of trees to the exacerbation of environmental crises, stressing that these practices increase the rates of sand encroachment and the soil loses its ability to retain water, which accelerates the pace of desertification and drought in the region.

Environment warned of the climatic consequences of firewood, pointing to its hidden role in raising temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which hinders national efforts to confront climate change.

The Ministry called on hikers and land trip enthusiasts to rely entirely on imported coal and firewood as a safe and sustainable alternative, demanding a complete departure from local firewood to contribute to the recovery of the desert environment.

The regulatory authorities imposed A cordon of strict measures at all stages of the supply chain, from cutting and transportation to sale and storage, to ensure that the black market for local firewood is besieged and its sources are dried up.

The Ministry revealed a list of deterrent penalties, whereby the fine for cutting, uprooting, or trading in a tree from vegetation without a license reaches 10 thousand riyals, with the violator obligated to repair the environmental damage resulting from his violation.

The penalties included transportation or Selling or storing local firewood and charcoal is subject to a fine of up to 5 thousand riyals per cubic metre, with the penalty being increased and doubled if the violation is repeated to ensure complete deterrence.

In addition, the Ministry advised all members of society to adhere to environmental regulations, refrain from practices that negatively affect vegetation, and participate in protecting biodiversity, to contribute to preserving natural resources, and enhancing shared responsibility, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.