CHINA yesterday marked the first National Ecology Day, which was established at a session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the top legislature, in late June. President Xi Jinping made instructions yesterday, urging the whole society to vigorously promote and act as role models in practicing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Ecological conservation is of vital importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said. China’s ecological conservation red lines reached about 3.19 million square kilometers, covering all 35 key areas for biodiversity conservation and more than 90% of typical ecosystems, said a blue book released yesterday. The Ministry of Natural Resources released the Blue Book of China’s Ecological Conservation Red Lines, marking the country’s first publication of such kind. Among them, the land ecological conservation red lines cover about 3.04 million square kilometers, accounting for over 30% of the country’s land area. By drawing the red lines, the country aims to prioritize the conservation of areas with significant functions, including water conservation, biodiversity maintenance, soil and water conservation, wind and sand fixation, and coastal protection. Authorities yesterday released a guideline to enhance the integration of law enforcement and judicature in forestry and grassland affairs. Jointly issued by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the guideline is centered on building a coordination mechanism for administrative law enforcement and procuratorial public interest litigations in forestry and grassland affairs. China now has more than 30 laws, over 100 sets of administrative regulations, and many local regulations focused on eco-environmental protection. These efforts contribute to building sound ecological conservation systems, according to the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, the NPC Standing Committee has formulated and revised 19 laws in this regard, including laws on protecting the country’s major rivers, wetlands and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. 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 Monday. 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. (SD-Xinhua) | 