Collaboration to bolster legal protection for nation's forests and grasslands

China's top procuratorate and the forestry authority have issued a document outlining plans to strengthen legal protection of forests and grasslands.

The document, issued on Tuesday by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, coincides with the first National Ecology Day, which aims to raise awareness of environmental protection.

It calls for increased collaboration between prosecutorial authorities and forestry and grassland regulatory departments to address unlawful activities and safeguard the development of forestry and grassland resources.

The need to tackle key areas that compromise national and public interests is also emphasized, particularly in severe criminal circumstances and those reluctant to implement necessary rectifications.

Prosecutors will be tasked with fulfilling their legal supervision obligations while also intensifying their support for forestry and grassland related work.

In cases entailing cross-departmental responsibilities, procuratorial bodies are asked to fully leverage their supervisory functions, ensuring that relevant authorities execute their respective duties to promote the protection and governance of forestry and grassland resources.

The document also stipulates the need for procuratorial institutions and forestry and grassland departments to broaden their communication channels and methods, enhancing information exchanges based on existing cooperative efforts. To foster professional growth, the document also advocates personnel exchanges and learning opportunities between procuratorates and forest and grassland departments at or above the provincial level.

The move is seen as part of China's efforts to build an ecological civilization, a concept that extols balanced and sustainable development and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. In recent years, there has been growing collaboration between judicial and administrative authorities in combating crimes against the environment. In the first half of this year, public security agencies nationwide resolved 29,000 related criminal cases, with the Ministry of Public Security overseeing the handling of 155 significant cases, according to the ministry.