[Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok] Jeollanam-do Boseong-gun (Governor Kim Cheol-woo) announced on the 27th that the "Korean Tidal Flats," including the Boseong tidal flats, were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site the day before.
The "Korean Tidal Flats" is the 15th World Heritage site registered in Korea and the second natural heritage site.
The Boseong tidal flats include Daepo-ri, Jangam-ri, Jangdo-ri, and Hodong-ri areas of Beolgyo-eup (31.85㎢), and in connection with the nearby Suncheon tidal flats, it is the final destination of the floating sediments originating from the Geum River. Around Jangdo, there are 20 islands where very fine and delicate sediments have accumulated.
In 2019, advisory members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), who visited Boseong-gun for World Heritage registration, showed considerable interest in the mudflat boat fishery designated as National Important Fisheries Heritage No. 2, praising it as "a space where humans and nature coexist harmoniously among the Korean tidal flats applying for heritage status."
The Boseong tidal flats have been designated and managed as a Ramsar wetland since 2006, highly valued for biodiversity, excellent naturalness, and geomorphological and geological significance. In 2018, it was also designated as the 18th Wetland Protection Area by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Additionally, composed entirely of mud sediments, it has wide distributions of halophytic plant communities such as reeds and Salicornia, and is known as a habitat for legally protected species like the Black-headed Gull and the Bar-tailed Godwit.
Kim Cheol-woo, Governor of Boseong-gun, stated, "We will take the lead in protecting the tidal flats, including expanding buffer zones, so that our tidal flats, recognized for their universal value worldwide, can be preserved for a long time." He added, "Especially since the Boseong-Suncheon tidal flats are connected as one, we will jointly respond with Suncheon City regarding tidal flat conservation measures."
Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok kun5783@asiae.co.kr
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