World Heritage Shinan Tidal Flats: Stepping Beyond Domestic Recognition Toward Internationalization
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) announced on the 25th that it received a congratulatory letter on the inscription of Sinan Gaetbeol (Korean tidal flats) as a World Heritage site from Cao Lubao, Mayor of Yancheng City, China.
Yancheng City is located in Jiangsu Province, China, and possesses the "Migratory Bird Protection Area of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Bay Coast (Phase 1)," which was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in July 2019.
Yancheng's World Natural Heritage is largely composed of two zones: northern and southern Yancheng, with the entire heritage area covering 1,886 km² and a buffer zone of approximately 800 km².
Recognized under inscription criterion Ⅹ (biodiversity and endangered species) like Sinan Gaetbeol, it is known as an important site on the East Asia-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds.
Mayor Cao Lubao of Yancheng requested mutual cooperation with Sinan-gun for ecological conservation beyond industrial cooperation, including natural environment protection, coastal wetland and migratory bird research, as Yancheng is a pilot city for Korea-China industrial cooperation. As a first step, he invited the Sinan-gun governor, representing the Sinan Gaetbeol World Heritage area, to the International Coastal Forum held in Yancheng at the end of 2021 for the conservation of the Yellow Sea wetlands.
Since 2007, Sinan-gun has regularly held international migratory bird symposiums to continuously engage in international information exchange and natural ecological conservation activities. It has also maintained ongoing exchanges for mutual cooperation, including attending the Yellow Sea Wetlands international conference held in Yancheng, China.
Governor Park Woo-ryang said, “By proceeding with a business agreement with Yancheng City and engaging in activities to protect the Yellow Sea ecological region, we believe we can lay the foundation to pass on the best natural environment we have to future generations.” He added, “We will do our best to uphold the value of Sinan Gaetbeol by leading tidal flat conservation not only domestically but also internationally, so as not to be ashamed of the status as a World Natural Heritage site.”
Meanwhile, the Korean tidal flats, including Sinan Gaetbeol, were inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site unanimously by 21 member countries at the 44th World Heritage Committee held in Fuzhou, China, on July 26.
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