Incheon City Starts Research on Tidal Flat Conservation and Utilization Plans... Candidate Site Review for World Natural Heritage Registration

Incheon City announced on the 7th that it has launched a research project to develop conservation and utilization plans for tidal flats.

Incheon possesses the second largest tidal flats in South Korea, covering 728.3㎢, following Jeonnam, which accounts for 29.3% of the country's total tidal flat area.

Over the next one year and six months, Incheon City plans to analyze the current status and conditions of the Incheon tidal flat ecosystem, dividing the area into conservation and utilization zones to establish management plans. Projects tailored to regional characteristics, such as tidal flat experiences and ecological education, will also be developed.

In particular, through this project, Incheon City plans to review the candidate sites for the second inscription of UNESCO World Natural Heritage and conduct opinion surveys among local residents.

In 2021, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed five tidal flat areas in the southwestern coast of Korea (Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan, Boseong, and Suncheon) as World Natural Heritage sites. This was the second inscription of a World Natural Heritage site in Korea, following Jeju Island's volcanic island.

Furthermore, the committee recommended adding nine more tidal flat areas by 2025, with Incheon having the most candidate sites that meet these conditions, including Ganghwa, Yeongjong, and Songdo.

Incheon Mudflat [Photo provided by Incheon City]

Earlier in March, 61 civic groups in the Incheon area launched the ‘Incheon Tidal Flat World Natural Heritage Registration Promotion Civic Cooperation Group,’ stating that "efforts and preparations to promote and recognize the value of Incheon tidal flats have been insufficient, which is why it has not yet been inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site."

The Civic Cooperation Group stated, "If the Incheon tidal flats become a World Natural Heritage site, it will serve as an opportunity to recognize and conserve the entire tidal flats along the Yellow Sea coast, including those in North Korea and China," and urged the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Incheon City to actively promote the second phase of the Incheon tidal flats' World Natural Heritage inscription.

The group further emphasized, "Even if the Incheon tidal flats are inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site, there will be no additional regulations imposed on local residents. Rather, Incheon will gain prestige as a city hosting a World Natural Heritage site, and Incheon citizens can take pride and honor as advanced citizens who cultivate and protect a globally recognized natural environment, showcase it to the world, and pass it on to future generations."

An official from Incheon City stated, "This project aims to develop wise utilization plans that harmonize the conservation and use of the Incheon tidal flats," adding, "We will do our best to secure local acceptance to propose candidate sites for the inscription of the Incheon tidal flats that meet UNESCO's recommendations."