Jeollanam-do Tidal Flats Seek Expanded World Heritage Listing... On-site Inspection Completed

Inspection Team Recently Reviewed Muan, Goheung, and Yeosu Tidal Flats
Decision to Be Made at the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Session

Jeollanam-do recently completed the on-site inspection by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the expansion of the "Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" World Heritage listing. The photo shows the scene of the overall briefing. Provided by Jeonnam Province.

Jeollanam-do announced that the on-site inspection by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the expansion of the "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase II" World Heritage listing has been successfully completed.

This application for expanded inscription newly includes the Muan Tidal Flat, Goheung Tidal Flat, and Yeosu Tidal Flat in Jeollanam-do. The buffer zone for the previously listed Boseong-Suncheon Tidal Flat, which was included in Phase I, has been expanded to fully encompass the migratory range and habitats of waterbirds.

The "Korean Tidal Flats Phase I," which was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2021, included the Shinan Tidal Flat and Boseong-Suncheon Tidal Flat in Jeollanam-do. If the Phase II inscription is successful, Jeollanam-do will achieve the milestone of having a total of five tidal flats listed as World Heritage Sites.

Bastian Bertzky, an advisory member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Taras Singh Bains, an expert, visited the Muan, Goheung, and Yeosu tidal flats (the newly proposed areas) during the inspection period from September 26 to October 1. They closely examined the protection and management status of each tidal flat and assessed their integrity as World Heritage Sites.

The inspection team held interviews with tidal flat managers, local residents, and experts to receive detailed explanations about the ecological value and conservation efforts of Jeollanam-do’s tidal flats, and they confirmed the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the heritage sites.

Based on the final evaluation, which includes the results of this on-site inspection, the decision on whether to expand the World Heritage listing for "Korean Tidal Flats Phase II" will be made at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to be held in Busan in July 2026.

Kang Hyoseok, Director-General of Culture and Prosperity at Jeollanam-do, stated, "Through this on-site inspection, we were able to fully showcase the excellence and conservation value of Jeollanam-do’s tidal flats," and added, "We will do our utmost, in close cooperation with the National Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Environment, and the Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats World Heritage Nomination Promotion Foundation, to achieve final inscription in 2026."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.