The Supreme People's Court has unveiled six exemplary cases that highlight judicial efforts in protecting national park-based nature reserves. These cases serve as a beacon for educational awareness and ecological conservation.

The released cases, which involve criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation, span key ecological regions such as the Giant Panda National Park in Sichuan province, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Wuyishan National Park that spans Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, and Qilianshan National Nature Reserve in Gansu province.

These cases address serious offenses, including threats to endangered wildlife, forest destruction, and illegal exploitation of mineral resources within national park territories.

In recent years, criminal cases related to the environment and resources have gradually declined. But instances of crimes in some key areas remain prevalent. One such case involved the people's court utilizing environmental justice to punish crimes that harmed endangered wildlife in the national park, demonstrating a resolute commitment to protecting these species through stringent legal measures.

The regulations on ecological compensation, which came into effect on June 1, 2024, explicitly stipulates that the State will compensate individuals and entities engaged in ecological protection within designated key ecological areas and nature reserves through financial transfers and other means. 

In one of the released case involved a hydropower station in a county being required to cease operations due to the area’s designation as a national park. In this instance, the people’s court upheld the principle of balancing green development and livelihood security, ordering the administrative bodies to fulfill their statutory compensation obligations. The decision safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of relevant stakeholders and facilitated the orderly withdrawal of relevant business entities from national park areas.

The establishment of national parks is a crucial step in addressing biodiversity loss and climate change, actively advancing to the goals of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Aligning with the "dual carbon" goals, courts have been proactive in supporting the lawful operations of national park management agencies. This includes resolving contractual disputes efficiently, safeguarding the rights of all parties, and fostering national park conservation and management efforts.

By coordinating high-quality development and environmental protection, courts have intensified efforts to protect the environment within national parks and nature reserves by enforcing conservation rules.

In one released case, the people’s court handling the case mandated defendants responsible for illegally encroaching on forest land within nature reserves and severely damaging the ecological systems to assume responsibilities for the environmental and timber resource losses, as well as restoration costs. These efforts have effectively upheld the ecological security of nature reserves and ensured the construction of key national ecological function areas and vital ecological corridors.