China's top procuratorate has pledged to strengthen legal oversight in marine environmental protection by leveraging advanced technologies and enhancing coordinated governance, as the country steps up efforts to safeguard ocean ecosystems and support sustainable development.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said it will intensify case handling in key areas such as marine water quality, coastline changes and control of invasive species.

The move aligns with the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which advocates for stronger prevention of marine environmental risks at the source and greater efforts in pollution control and ecological restoration in key coastal regions.

Xu Xiangchun, director of the SPP's public interest litigation department, said procuratorial organs in coastal regions have made notable progress in recent years by leveraging geographic advantages and actively performing their public interest litigation functions.

"Protecting marine ecological resources is also closely linked to safeguarding people's livelihoods," Xu said, noting that improving marine environmental quality directly supports coastal communities and industries.

Xu acknowledged that balancing ecological protection with economic development remains a challenge, particularly in cases involving historical issues and complex local conditions. "It is important to properly handle this relationship to address problems at their root," he said.

He added that many long-standing and complex issues in marine protection require coordinated efforts across different levels of procuratorial organs and government departments, rather than relying on a single authority.

One case released by the SPP illustrates this approach. In Xiangshui county, Jiangsu province, an agricultural company converted 300 hectares of saline land along the Yellow Sea into aquaculture ponds and leased them to 106 shrimp farmers. Untreated wastewater was discharged into the sea, affecting coastal water quality and harming public interests.

The local procuratorate identified the case during a campaign to protect the Yellow Sea and launched a public interest litigation investigation in April 2023. It then convened authorities overseeing water resources, agriculture and rural affairs, and the environment.

Although all parties agreed the discharge was illegal, enforcement proved difficult. Farmers had already invested heavily, an immediate shutdown risked social tensions, departmental responsibilities overlapped, and the large aquaculture area posed technical challenges.

The procuratorate issued recommendations urging coordinated enforcement, better management of discharge outlets and standardized wastewater treatment. Following joint enforcement efforts, more than 60 drainage outlets were removed and dynamic monitoring was introduced.

To balance environmental protection with economic stability, local authorities invested more than 10.7 million yuan ($1.5 million) in wastewater treatment facilities, ensuring compliant discharge while maintaining production. An ecological education base was also built.

The case later revealed broader problems. In 2024, prosecutors found similar issues across more than 9,300 hectares of coastal aquaculture areas and issued recommendations to promote unified treatment. A centralized tailwater treatment area covering more than 833 hectares was established, 40 monitoring points were added, and an ecological aquaculture community of more than 8,000 hectares was developed.

By April last year, more than 24,600 hectares of aquaculture areas in Yancheng, Jiangsu, had completed rectification and achieved compliant discharge. The Xiangshui experience has since been promoted across the province.

Xu said prosecutors will focus next on key areas of marine ecological protection and intensify case handling. Led by an ongoing public interest litigation campaign around the Bohai Sea, prosecutors will guide local authorities to strengthen oversight in major marine environmental and resource protection cases and develop region-specific models.

Technology will play a larger role, Xu said. Given the fluid and complex nature of marine ecosystems, traditional methods of identifying clues and collecting evidence are no longer sufficient. Prosecutors will make greater use of satellite remote sensing and big data models.

He added that prosecutors will deepen cooperation with departments overseeing ecology and environment, natural resources and maritime affairs, improve information-sharing and joint case-handling mechanisms, and issue guidance to address practical issues such as damage assessment and compensation management.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn