Act No. 15.939 on Forestry, 28 December 1987.
This Act sets forth the basic forestry law of Uruguay.  It defines forest land and the duties of the forestry service, which include afforestation and the protection of forests.  Forest land is divided into two categories, public and private. Afforestation by the owners of private land is obligatory when declared necessary by a Presidential Order.  If the required planting is not completed, the owner is subject to a monthly fine and the land may be taken by the State.  Both kinds of land are subject to basic protection provisions, including  limitations on operations and transfers affecting protection and natural forests and general requirements concerning fire protection, pests, and diseases.  Any unauthorized operation prejudicial to a protected forest is prohibited and the author is required to reforest without the benefit of financial incentives.  In addition, the Act gives the authorities the power to prohibit transit, settlement, logging, grazing, and other activities in state forests.  The Act also establishes a Forestry Fund and provides for the encouragement of afforestation through tax and financial benefits and direct intervention.  It calls for an amount equivalent to the cost of 10,000 hectares of reforestation to be set aside for forest development each year and requires the Executive to produce a five-year forestry plan setting the number of hectares to be reforested each year.  Further provisions of the Act describe enforcement  procedures and penalties, among other things.
D000569:Americas; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004777:Environment; D005376:Financial Management; D005380:Financing, Government; D007843:Latin America; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013020:South America; D014197:Trees; D014583:Uruguay
Americas; Developing Countries; Economic Factors; Environment; Environmental Protection--legal aspects; Financial Activities; Financing, Government--legal aspects; Forests--legal aspects; Land Tenure--legal aspects; Latin America; Legislation; Natural Resources; Socioeconomic Factors; South America; Uruguay