The Supreme People’s Procuratorate’s Public Interest Litigation Case on Urging the Remediation of Ecological and Environmental Damage in the Nansi Lake Basin

This case concerns a large-scale environmental public interest litigation initiated by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China to address ecological damage in the Nansi Lake Basin, a cross-regional freshwater system spanning multiple provinces. Due to fragmented governance and widespread pollution from industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources, procuratorial authorities coordinated across four administrative levels to investigate, supervise, and initiate administrative and civil public interest litigation.

The case combined legal oversight, technological tools (including satellite monitoring), and inter-agency coordination to identify pollution sources and enforce remediation measures. Over 200 related cases were filed, primarily administrative public interest actions urging authorities to fulfil statutory duties, alongside civil claims for ecological compensation. The process resulted in significant environmental improvements, harmonization of discharge standards, and the establishment of long-term governance mechanisms. The case illustrates an integrated, system-level approach to environmental protection through prosecutorial-led public interest litigation in China.