Chinese courts resolved a total of 64,788 criminal cases related to the destruction of forest resources between 2018 and 2022, rendering judgments for 82,704 individuals.
These legal endeavors reflect China’s commitment to fortifying the protection of its forest resources, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) said yesterday.
In response to emerging challenges in judicial practice, the SPC has released judicial interpretations of the trialing of criminal cases related to the destruction of forest resources, providing guidelines for the determination of convictions, setting sentencing standards for offenses, and addressing pertinent legal application issues.
It has shed light on the standards for convicting and sentencing individuals engaged in the illicit occupation of forest lands.
Specifically, the judicial interpretations state that engaging in the illegal occupation and destruction of public-benefit forest lands exceeding 5 mu (0.33 hectares) or commercial forest lands exceeding 10 mu are criminal offenses.
The judicial interpretations also specify the criteria for conviction and sentencing in cases involving crimes such as the endangerment of nationally protected plants, and the illicit or arbitrary felling of trees. Xinhua
