Expert testimony praised in environmental case

Vegetation ecologist Li Zhengji found himself in the vanguard when the provincial Nanping Intermediate People's Court considered the first public-interest environmental lawsuit filed after China strengthened its environmental protection laws earlier this year.

The Xiamen University professor was asked to evaluate the ecological damage from a stone quarry on Hulu Mountain in Nanping's Yanping district, research that would be needed to restore the site and advise the judges considering the case.

"My role was like that of a forensic officer in medical science," said Li, who found the vegetation had been significantly damaged by stone mining.