ILLEGAL HARVESTING OF NUTS IS PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF UP TO 27 MILLION MNT
When cedar nuts are not fully ripe, people collect and sell them in large quantities. The law provides for a fine of 5.4 - 27 million MNT for illegal harvesting. For example, Article 24.1 of Chapter 24 of the Special Part of the Criminal Code stipulates that “collecting, preparing, selling, purchasing, storing, transporting and processing very rare and endangered plants and their seeds and organs for purposes other than those specified in the law shall be punishable by a fine of 5.400 to 27,000 units or restriction of the right to travel for a period of 1 to 5 years, or imprisonment for a term of 1 to 5 years.” Therefore, the Ecological Police Department of the General Police warns that citizens who wish to harvest nuts shall obtain a license within their rights issued by the state central administrative body.
Cedar trees begin to bear a fruit after growing in nature for more than 50 years. Unfortunately, forcibly hitting a tree just to harvest the nuts while it is still ripe reduces the aging process by more than 30 percent. As a result, a cedar tree that was supposed to live more than 140 years in the forest can only last about 100 years. According to the officials, this will cause enormous damage to the environment in the near future.
Source: Mongolian Law on Infringement