On August 15, which coincided with the second National Ecological Day, the Lonlin Court issued a judicial protection order for ancient tea trees and organized a series of activities including extensive legal publicity and visits to tea companies. These actions further embodied the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.
The issuance of the judicial protection order reinforces the legal barrier for the protection of ancient tea trees.
The wild ancient tea trees in Lonlin are widely distributed, dense, old, and numerous, making them an essential component of the ecosystem and playing a unique role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity.
To fully leverage the law's functions of punishment, deterrence, guidance, and evaluation, the Lonlin Court took advantage of the second National Ecological Day to issue the “Lonlin Autonomous County People's Court Judicial Protection Order for Ancient Tea Trees.” The order was publicly displayed at the entrance to the ancient tea Tree Forest in Tangshi Shangba Village, De'eo Town, Lonlin.
The protection order is based on the principles of prioritizing protection and prevention and sets out seven prohibitions according to relevant regulations such as the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Regulations on the Protection of Ancient Trees and Famous Woods of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region:
One, no unauthorized felling, transplanting, or transporting of ancient tea trees;
Two, no root digging, branch breaking (cutting), or bark stripping from ancient tea trees;
Three, no unauthorized twisting, carving, or pruning of ancient tea trees;
Four, no use of toxic substances harmful to the growth or quality of ancient tea trees, such as pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, chemical weed killers, etc.;
Five, no sand mining, Soil extraction, water withdrawal, wastewater discharge, gas emission, waste residue dumping, or open fires within the protected area of ancient tea trees;
Six, no unauthorized movement, destruction, or forgery of ancient tea tree protection signs;
Seven, no other acts that endanger ancient tea tree resources.
The protection order is a reflection of the Lonlin Court's deepening of environmental resource adjudication in light of the actual needs of ecological conservation in its jurisdiction and demonstrates the court's commitment to protecting ecological resources and promoting ecological civilization. The Lonlin Court will take this judicial protection order for ancient tea trees as a starting point to crack down on criminal offenses that damage ancient tea trees and contribute judicial strength to the county's green development.
Extensive legal publicity to enhance public legal awareness
“We wouldn't cut down the ancient tea trees ourselves, but can we cut down poplar trees?”
“Can you clearly tell us which trees cannot be cut down without authorization?”
In the morning, the Lonlin Court organized judicial officers to conduct legal publicity in Tangshi Shangba Village, De'eo Town. Through on-site lectures, door-to-door promotion of legal documents, dissemination of environmental legal issues, and provision of environmental legal consulting services, they popularized the “Lonlin Autonomous County People's Court Judicial Protection Order for Ancient Tea Trees” and laws and regulations related to environmental protection, enhancing the environmental protection legal awareness of the general public. It is reported that a total of more than 100 legal publicity materials were distributed, and answers were provided to ten questions.
Visits and research to understand Tea culture and promote green development of enterprises
In the afternoon, the judicial officers of the Lonlin Court visited Guangxi Lonlin Zhengshantang Tea Industry Co., Ltd. Through on-site visits and face-to-face conversations, they gained a detailed understanding of tea production processes, such as tea research and development, processing, and sales channels, as well as the ancient tea tree culture. They also learned about the company's legal needs and, by combining typical cases of environmental protection and environmental destruction crimes, promoted environmental protection laws and regulations, guiding the enterprise to strictly abide by environmental laws and regulations, foster a green development concept, and operate legally and orderly.
Baise Intermediate People's Court