The State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine has started creating working groups to strengthen state control over the conservation of rare and Red Book early flowering plant species and reminded of the amount of fines for violators.
This was reported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
Why you shouldn't pick primroses
The agencies reminded that primroses are a collective folk name for early flowering spring plants. There are more than 40 species of them in Ukraine. If you pick a stem with a flower, the plant loses the ability to form seeds and produce a new generation in the future. If you pull out the flowers along with the bulbs, it will lead to the complete destruction of these primroses.
According to the Ministry of Ecology, the following types of early flowering plants are under threat of destruction due to massive spring harvesting: snowdrops, saffron, white flower, sleeping grass, wild garlic, mountainsweet and others.
What punishment will be imposed on violators?
The State Ecological Inspectorate emphasized that illegal collection, transportation or sale of these plants is punishable by fines and administrative liability in accordance with the following provisions of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses
- part one of Article 88-1: the illegal acquisition, sale and distribution of flora is punishable by a fine of 510 to 1700 UAH;
- part two of Article 88-1: for the same actions committed in relation to plants growing within the nature reserve fund, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine or protected by international agreements, the fine is from UAH 1700 to 3655;
- Article 91: illegal collection of plants within the nature reserve fund is punishable by a fine of UAH 153 to 408 for citizens with confiscation of the means of the offense and illegally extracted natural resources;
- Article 90: for the destruction of plants listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, a fine of 340 to 510 UAH is provided for citizens with their subsequent confiscation.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that in 2024, Ukraine created the fewest protected areas in 10 years.
