Offenders turned into ecological guardians

TAIYUAN — In recent years, courts in North China's Shanxi province have intensified their efforts to build specialized judicial capabilities for environmental and resource-related trials, aiming to better safeguard the fragile ecosystem of the Yellow River Basin.

On the dusty banks of the Fenhe River, the defendants, following the court's order, released a bucket of fish. A total of 35,000 carp fry splashed into the river, restocking what their illegal nets once emptied. Welcome to Shanxi's courtroom of the green future, where justice is measured not only in convictions but in clear water and new grass.

Shanxi has cultivated a team of judges who are not only proficient in environmental adjudication but also well-versed in ecological and resource-related expertise. Concurrently, "expert jurors" from diverse fields have been enlisted to offer scientific consultations during trials.

Situated on the Loess Plateau, Shanxi confronts formidable ecological protection challenges. The Yellow River traverses four cities and 19 counties of the province, covering areas where over 65 percent of Shanxi's population resides. Its major tributary, the Fenhe River, serves as a vital water conservation zone and ecological barrier in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.

Protecting these river basins is crucial for Shanxi's ecological governance and high-quality development. However, environmental and resource-related cases are often complex, extensive and highly technical.

"In illegal fishing cases, sentencing may be straightforward, but the real challenge lies in enforcing ecological restoration," said Bian Junmei, deputy head of the environmental and resource tribunal of the Shanxi Provincial Higher People's Court. "For instance, which fish fry released into the Yellow and Fenhe rivers can generate the greatest ecological value? Judges don't always have the answers."

In November 2024, under the guidance of experts from the local aquaculture research station, the People's Court of Yongji City recommended that the defendants release 35,000 fingerlings of red-eyed trout and Yellow River carp into the Yellow River as part of the penalty for ecological resource restoration.

Red-eyed trout, being filter-feeding fish, can clean organic debris and plankton in the water, contributing to the maintenance of water cleanliness and health. These two species also hold high market value, providing fishermen with a significant economic return, according to local experts.

Shanxi established its provincial-level environmental and resource tribunal in 2019. By the end of 2020, every intermediate court across the province had set up such environmental divisions, and each county-level court had formed specialized trial teams.

By June 2025, Shanxi courts had handled over 22,000 cases involving environmental pollution, ecological damage, natural resource utilization, climate response and ecological governance.

In a civil public interest litigation case filed by a Beijing research institute against a Shanxi aluminum company, the Xinzhou Intermediate People's Court facilitated a mediation agreement.

With the support of technical experts, the company converted a dust-laden site into a lush grassland spanning more than 66 hectares, boosting its green production capacity.

Through on-site circuit trials, ecological restocking, technology-upgrade-for-penalty mechanisms and volunteer services, Shanxi courts have encouraged the defendants to shift from "offenders" to "guardians", providing both education and deterrence for the public.

Xinhua