Top court calls for tougher penalties for wildlife crimes

China's top court has called for tougher punishment of wildlife crimes, underscoring the judiciary's commitment to biodiversity conservation and ecological protection.

The Supreme People's Court released details of five representative cases on Wednesday, urging judges nationwide to strengthen judicial protection of key ecosystems, species and genetic resources while fostering greater public awareness of biodiversity conservation.

Among the cases, a man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegally hunting snow leopards, a first-class nationally protected species.

According to the SPC, the man entered a forest in Zhaosu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, during winter and set snares near a stream. He used ropes and knives to kill the animals, then skinned them and hid the pelts at his home. Police later found the hides of three adult snow leopards and two cubs during a search.

The railway transport intermediate people's court in Urumqi, the regional capital, ruled that the defendant had committed a "particularly serious" offense of endangering rare and endangered wildlife. In addition to the 12-year prison term, he was fined 50,000 yuan ($7,385).

The SPC said snow leopards are a first-class nationally protected wild animal and a flagship species in alpine ecosystems, playing a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of high-altitude environments.

The ruling demonstrates the judiciary's determination to protect biodiversity and safeguard China's ecological security, the court said. It added that the case is intended to deter wildlife crimes while encouraging the public to respect nature and conserve natural resources.

The other cases released on Wednesday reflected a similarly tough judicial stance.

In one case, four people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years to five years and three months for poaching oriental storks. In another, two defendants received prison terms of five years and six months and six years, respectively, for illegally hunting three wild yak calves.

The SPC said the crackdown on poaching is part of a broader judicial strategy to strengthen protection of key species, prevent the spread of invasive species and impose severe penalties for crimes involving protected wildlife and plants.

"These efforts aim to bolster biodiversity conservation and build a strong biosecurity barrier," the court said.

The SPC also pledged to continue advancing the comprehensive protection and restoration of ecosystems by strengthening judicial safeguards for nature reserves, particularly national parks, to enhance ecosystem diversity, stability and sustainability.

Courts nationwide have also been instructed to step up protection of biological genetic resources, with a focus on the genetic resources of rare and endangered wildlife, to preserve the country's natural heritage and safeguard its biological resource base.