Nineveh initiates legal action over felling of ancient trees in Mosul

Shafaq News- Mosul

Nineveh's Environment Directorate has initiated legal proceedings against a violator found to have cut down three ancient trees in a forested area of Mosul in response to a complaint filed by Mosul's Municipal Directorate.

The directorate identified the act as a breach of Article 18/Fifth of Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 23 of 2009, which prohibits the cutting of ancient trees in public urban areas without prior approval from the competent authorities.

Nineveh Environment Director Rana Munir al-Taai confirmed that field monitoring campaigns would continue to detect environmental violations and pursue deterrent measures against offenders. She called on citizens to cooperate in protecting vegetation cover and preserving natural resources.

In 2025, Mosul's Municipal Directorate publicly rejected any activity involving tree-cutting in the city's forests, pledging to plant 25,000 trees in the northern forest and 14,000 in the southern forest, while continuing to enforce judicial orders against violations, including the demolition of illegally constructed buildings on public land.