A FINAL WARNING

"It's dishonest, a disgrace and a crime." That was how Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his attitude to reports of illegal tree felling in Baku at the latest session of the government. "I believe we must introduce a more serious form of responsibility. The felling of trees must be ceased entirely. Trees must either be re-planted or felled only with the permission of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources," the head of state said and he reminded oblivious officials that he had spoken out on this question on more than one occasion.

Ilham Aliyev said that compared with previous years the situation regarding the felling of plantations is now more positive. He also said that government institutions had planted over 10 million trees as part of a campaign and this process is continuing. "We must keep questions linked with the ecological situation at the centre of attention. But one of the issues that concerns the general public - and me - is tree felling. And we have so far not fully succeeded. Some people are illegally felling trees at night and levelling areas for future house construction. These people should be brought to book. This is my final warning," the president said. 

Instead of trees

The president's concern is fully understandable. Recently the general public in the capital were angered by some media reports about the felling of valuable species of trees in Baku's Central Botanical Gardens. Fortunately, it later transpired that these reports were untrue. But in other parts of the capital instances of illegal tree felling have been confirmed from time to time. One such instance took place during the night of 10-11 April on Mazahir Rustamov Street, 21, Xatai District, in Baku, in a recreational park. The authorities in this district had earlier been carrying out work to landscape the park, including planting young spruce saplings. The local inhabitants did not object. But imagine their surprise when a few days later not only established trees but the new ones had vanished. After complaints to the proper authorities, particularly the Ecology Ministry, they were told that the tree felling had been done illegally. The local government failed to provide a meaningful response. News flies fast. They managed to find out that this area had been bought up for the construction of some building. "I wonder where our children will play now and their parents relax if some building is going up?" the people are asking. The angry residents claim that this park was built by [former Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev in the 1970s. At a solemn ceremony of the establishment of this leisure area Heydar Aliyev personally planted the first tree here. "There was practically a wood here, but today many trees have been felled and the new "bosses" of this area are saying that they bought it and they can do whatever they like with it," the angry residents say.

There was a case of illegal felling recently in the village of Bakixanov in Sabuncu District. And all these activities seem completely illogical to level-headed people. And the funny thing is that any attempt by residents to save the trees is usually a waste of time unless they are really persistent. There was one case on Q. Qarayev Prospekti in Nizami District where residents were able to prevent their neighbourhood being overrun by the nouveau-riche who wanted to put up some building on a site where trees had already been felled. After several protest demonstrations to protect the trees and the areas being grabbed, which was supported by Mehriban Aliyeva, the foundation pit for the future building was filled in. The First Lady learnt of the illegal activities after residents complained to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. A flourishing orchard has now replaced the pit.

R+ heard of another case of his neighbourhood being protected by a former employee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, a retired ecologist, Nacaf Huseynov: "A few years ago, the nouveau-riche, who wanted to build some kind of clinic right in the middle of our neighbourhood, arrived at an area they had taken a fancy to with very nearly a detachment of police officers. But we kept our trees. I'm retired now, but back then I was with the Ecology Ministry. I wrote letter after letter to the ministry, then to the government and then to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Thank Goodness, the people in our neighbourhood supported me. The trees were saved after intervention by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. A fence which had been erected on the future building site was immediately pulled down. But not everyone was so persistent. The result is that today a lot of trees are being felled in Baku, including valuable species. I urge anyone who comes across illegal tree felling not to stand aside but to uphold your right to a pleasant environment in the city and not to stop applying to the authorities for protection, whoever are behind these nouveau riche." 

Nacaf Huseynov stresses that trees are the source of life. "There are towns and countries where trees are worth their weight in gold. For example, in the UAE a decision was adopted recently on giving each tree in the country a unique code number. This index means that the tree is under state protection and has a special legal status which will mean that it cannot be damaged, felled or moved to another site. Offenders are threatened with a severe penalty - from 300 to 13,000 dollars." Unfortunately, in our country there are no such laws, the ecologist says. "However, it is still worth our adopting the experience of many developed countries. Although from the point of view of concern and protection, we have that already," the expert summed up, noting that current fines for tree felling are more than symbolic and it is better for the offender to pay them than lose out on future income from the site which would be built on the site they take a fancy to.

It should be pointed out that the actions of bureaucrats in the field at times run counter to state policy to make the country more eco-friendly. In 2012 alone, 2m manats were allocated on an instruction of the head of state for landscaping in Baku.

"The only sanction the state structures, in particular the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the government, could adopt was penalties which differ overall depending on the species and diameter of the tree and who caused damage to the environment - a private individual or a legal entity," a forest manager of the Department for the Environment and Tree Protection of the Ecology Ministry, who wished to remain anonymous, said in a conversation with R+. At the same time, the ranger noted that the Ecology Minister is putting a stop to cases of illegal tree felling and fining offenders. "This question is being closely monitored by the relevant structures. It is true that sometimes miscreants fell trees at night. But if tree felling is linked to building work for strategic state facilities, then young saplings are planted in another part of town. That way the balance of the capital's woodland area is preserved. Sometimes trees are re-planted," he said.

In early March the Ecology Ministry fined a government-run landscaping company following complaints by the residents of a house on Mirali Seyidov Street, 14, about established trees being felled. When the case was being investigated it was revealed that dozens of pine trees 38-40 cm in diameter had been felled at night. A report based on article 92.2 of the Administrative Offences Code was drawn up regarding a case of illegal tree felling by members of the ministry's Baku municipal department of ecology and natural resources. As a result the Baku landscaping company was fined as a legal entity. At the same time, instructions were issued to carry out new landscaping and to maintain it. A corresponding application was made to the executive power of Yasamal District."

It was revealed that when allocating a plot of land for the construction of the building the executive authorities failed to coordinate their activities with the Ecology Ministry and for work on construction and landscaping with the Ministry for Emergency Situations. First, they should have decided which trees were healthy and should be moved and which had stopped developing. If this procedure had been followed none of this would have happened. That said, the Ecology Ministry acknowledges that the monitoring carried out by the relevant structures of this department shows that there are frequent instances of illegal tree felling and this leads eventually to their destruction and the just displeasure of the people.

Apart from this, ineffective use is being made of the funds allocated by the state for the landscaping of Baku. As a result of the work being carried out by the capital's landscaping company, the picture of our city is an unflattering one: wherever you look there are withered exotic varieties of trees - palms and euonymus.  "Trust workers import these trees from Dubai, Iran and other hot countries. And some species of palms are grown in their own nursery," says the company's Oqtay Heydarov.

Independent ecologists accuse the company of an unprofessional approach to this matter. "This structure is virtually disorganized. Instead of decorative saplings they should be planting broad-leaved trees such as sycamore, poplar, elder pine and Caucasian birch along the whole perimeter of Baku. "'Aesthetic' and decorative saplings do not adapt to the stony soil of Abseron and have to be carefully tended. Apart from everything else, palms and euonymus cannot decide the city's eco-problem, purify the atmosphere from the flow of toxic elements and absorb the dust and noise," Telman Zeynalov, the president of the National Centre for Environmental Prediction, says.

What are trees?

Now let's explain using our fingers what were taught at school. What are trees? On the United Nations website it says that "in the heat trees give us shade, they bear edible fruit and add beauty to landscapes. From the ecological point of view they are even more important: the life-giving oxygen produced by trees purifies the air, reduces temperature and makes the air more humid. By retaining soil and reducing surface discharge trees prevent soil erosion, control landslides, alleviate the consequences of desertification, protect coastal areas and stabilize sand dunes. Trees are vital to birds and other inhabitants of urban and wild nature for life and food. Trees virtually serve as the basis of many natural systems. Forests and urban plantations are the most important storehouses of biodiversity on land and serve as a refuge for about 90 per cent of all known varieties.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and form vitally important carbon stocks. According to estimates of the UN Environmental Programme, the world's forests in their biomass alone store 283 gigatons of carbon, and their content in the forest biomass, dead trees, mulch and soil is roughly 50 per cent more than the content of carbon in the atmosphere. The loss of forests worldwide is a more serious cause of the annual increase in carbon emissions than the transport sector. Ending the destruction of forests is an effective means of reducing emissions. Felling trees leads to deforestation and desertification and leads to the emission of greenhouse gases and climate change."

This is what our city is deprived of when trees are felled for someone's commercial interests. Baku is being deprived of beautiful landscapes, shade, fresh air, coolness in the summer heat and the absorption of carbon dioxide by the "green lungs" of the capital. The city is losing its special eco-climate. Whereas in the past we did not believe in the absurdity of such a concept as tree felling, today we are already beginning to come to terms with it, at the same time experiencing an unbelievable spiritual pain. But we can prevent this process before it is too late. And a firm civil position on this question could play an important role.