The Ministry of Agriculture has made public seven cases of destroying grassland resources, as part of an intensified effort to fight illegal activities in the sector.
More than 18,700 illegal activities related to grassland resources were filed and investigated in 2013, according to China's top discipline watchdog.
In a statement released online on Wednesday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said that 270 of the illegal activities may include criminal acts and have been handed over to judicial authorities.
In the seven cases revealed by the Ministry of Agriculture, a number of people were convicted for illegally reclaiming grassland and using the land for other purposes, such as planting trees for sale.
In one case, Wang Fuyou and four accomplices from Qian'an county, Jilin province, were each sentenced to six months in prison after they were found to have illegally reclaimed a total of 2.2 hectares of grassland. Each was also fined 1,000 yuan ($165).
In another case, Wang Rongjiang from Fuhai county, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was sentenced to 18 months in prison with a two-year reprieve.
Wang, who was involved in reclaiming nearly 30 hectares of local grassland, was also fined 80,000 yuan.