Chinese prosecutors step up support for marine conservation

BEIJING -- Chinese prosecutors have stepped up their public interest litigation against offenders polluting the oceanic environment in an effort to strengthen marine conservation.

Procuratorates nationwide have handled 2,468 tip-offs about marine violations and filed 1,773 cases amid a special campaign launched in February 2019 by the Supreme People's Procuratorate to oversee offenses damaging marine ecology, the Legal Daily reported on April 17.

Procuratorial organs have issued 1,411 suggestions urging offenders to correct their misconducts through pre-litigation procedures and brought 152 public interest litigation cases to courts over the past year, the report said.

During the campaign, procuratorates facilitated the clearing of 126,885 tonnes of solid waste from coastal beaches and urged the shutdown of 426 farms in violation, said the newspaper.

A total of 815 square km of polluted or damaged sea areas were cleared, 25.3 km of coastline and 168 km of riverway repaired as a result of an oversight by prosecutors.

The campaign also saw 218 million yuan (around 30.8 million U.S. dollars) of compensation for ecological restoration recovered, the report said.