RIGA, April 8 (LETA) - On Monday, the Constitutional Court ruled that a new regulation allowing to cut younger trees was unconstitutional.

This is the first time that a forest management and sustainability issue is examined by the Constitutional Court.

The Latvian Fund for Nature representative Liene Brizga-Kalnina previously said that in 2022 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted amendments to the regulations on felling trees in forests, which reduced the minimum diameter of trees suitable for felling, allowing for younger trees to be felled in most pine, spruce and birch forests. At the end of 2022, several environmental organizations turned to the Constitutional Court asking the court to look into whether the contested amendments complied with Article 115 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the state must protect the right of everyone to live in a benevolent environment by providing information about environmental conditions and by promoting the preservation and improvement of the environment.

The environmental organizations believe that not all the effects of the amendments, including on biodiversity, have been assessed, and there is a risk that the proportion of old, biodiverse forests in Latvia will further decrease. Currently, such forests constitute only 10 percent of Latvia's forests. Cutting ever younger trees will affect both biodiversity and the ability of forests to sequester greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increase forest fragmentation.

The case was brought before the Constitutional Court by the Latvian Fund for Nature, the Latvian Ornithological Society and the World Wild Fund for Nature. The application was supported by the association Green Liberty and the Association of Latvian Organic Agriculture.

Law firm Cobalt was a pro bono legal advisor in preparation of the claim, it was also partly financially supported by the Active Citizens Fund.