People’s courts at all levels have heard 16,373 criminal cases related to environmental resources from July 2016 to June 2017, imposing criminal punishment on 27,834 people, said the Supreme People’s Court, the highest court in China, on July 13.

The court released the statistics at a press conference held in Beijing, when it issued the White Paper on Environmental and Natural Resources Adjudication. According to the white paper, 13,895 cases have been concluded.

The white paper also introduced the strengthened efforts of courts at all levels to combat environmental crimes and protect the environment and natural resources.