Lemurs enjoy "festive food" ahead of the upcoming Lantern Festival at Yunnan Wild Animal Park in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province, Feb 4, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese police solved 29,000 criminal cases related to environmental damage in the first half of this year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday, which marks the country's first National Ecology Day.

These cases involved a variety of criminal offenses that resulted in environmental damage, including polluting the air, water and soil, fabricating false evidence related to environmental protection, harming precious and endangered wildlife, illegally felling forest trees, as well as illegally excavating sea sand and mining.

ALSO READ: Xi makes instructions on China's first National Ecology Day

The ministry said police authorities will continue to crack down on environmental crimes in the future.