The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) recently issued a notice on conscientiously studying and implementing the National Park Law, which took effect on Jan 1. The notice calls on courts nationwide to fully understand the significance of the law and to effectively fulfill their responsibilities in supporting and safeguarding national park development through the rule of law and judicial work.
The notice requires courts at all levels to take the lead in accurately implementing the law, while carrying out related work following its enactment, such as study, public outreach and application of the law.
According to the notice, courts should integrate the study and implementation of the National Park Law with implementing the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, the tasks in the outline of 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), and the Ecological and Environmental Code. Courts are urged to faithfully perform their duties and provide effective judicial services and strong guarantees for the high-quality development of national parks through strict and impartial justice, contributing to the building of a Beautiful China.
The notice stresses the need to protect the authenticity and integrity of national park ecosystems in accordance with the law, strengthen ecological security barriers, promote green and low-carbon transformation in national park regions while improving people’s livelihoods, and advance ecological conservation and restoration by prioritizing protection and natural recovery.
The notice also emphasizes the importance of organizing systematic education and training on the National Park Law. Courts are required to thoroughly study the law’s concepts, principles and institutional mechanisms, accurately grasp its practical requirements, and ensure its consistent and proper application in judicial practice by integrating the study of the law with adjudication and enforcement work.
The notice further calls on courts to carry out more public outreach activities to raise public awareness of the law in accordance with the principle that law enforcers should also popularize the law. Courts are encouraged to conduct publicity activities on occasions such as National Ecology Day and World Environment Day, making use of national park science education sites and environmental judicial protection and restoration bases to foster a favorable environment for the implementation of the law.
In addition, the notice urges continued international exchanges and cooperation in the field of environmental justice to better present China’s experience in judicial protection of national parks and enhance the international influence of China’s environmental adjudication.
To ensure the effective implementation of the law, the notice calls for improving supporting mechanisms. Courts are required to steadily advance the integrated handling mechanism for criminal, civil and administrative cases involving ecological environment and resources in national parks, explore supporting systems such as expert participation and technical investigators, and strengthen the development of specialized adjudication teams.
The notice also highlights the need to deepen judicial coordination and collaboration between law enforcement and judicial authorities. Courts in national park regions are encouraged to establish cooperation mechanisms in areas such as evidence collection, expert resource sharing and cross-regional enforcement. Closer coordination with national park administrations, procuratorates, public security organs and ecological and environmental law enforcement authorities is also encouraged in areas including case transfer, information sharing, investigation and evidence collection, supervision of ecological restoration, and management and use of compensation funds for environmental damage.
The SPC stressed that courts must earnestly study and implement the National Park Law and uphold the strictest systems and the rule of law to protect the ecological environment of national parks, providing high-quality judicial services and guarantees for national park development.
