13 million tenge fine for a dandelion? Ecology Ministry explains which plants can lead to penalties

Tengrinews.kz — Information about multimillion-tenge fines for picking dandelions is being actively discussed on social media and messaging apps. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources explained in which cases citizens could actually face punishment.

Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Nurken Sharbiyev clarified that the fines apply only to Red Book species of the plant.

“The fine applies to Red Book dandelions. (...) Picking any Red Book plants carries a fine of 3,000 monthly calculation indices (12,975,000 tenge in 2026),” Sharbiyev said.

According to him, such strict measures are necessary to preserve rare and endangered plant species.

“These are rare plants on the verge of extinction, which is why such fines are предусмотрены. The fine was increased tenfold in 2019 at the initiative of deputies and now amounts to 3,000 MCI in order to prevent the destruction of Red Book plants, namely rare and endangered species,” the vice minister explained.

The official also noted that picking even a few plants could lead to their complete disappearance.

“In other words, roughly speaking, if ten dandelions are picked, these plants could disappear entirely,” he said.

When asked where Red Book dandelions are found, Sharbiyev said they mainly grow in southern regions of Kazakhstan.