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| Seen is Gochang Getbol in North Jeolla Province, one site of the “Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats” which was added recently to UNESCO’s Natural World Heritage list. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration |
By Park Ji-won
“Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats” became the 15th South Korean entry to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, Monday; and the second natural heritage site here, following the “Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes,” designated in 2007.
The decision was officially made during the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Fuzhou, China, Monday (local time).
“The Getbol is a natural serial property, comprising four components in the first phase, located on the eastern shoreline of the Yellow Sea on the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The Yellow Sea, lying between the Korean Peninsula and China, hosts one of the world’s largest and most productive tidal ecosystems supporting millions of migratory waterbirds at the heart of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), whilst providing critical ecosystem services for people … This property is a globally significant example of shared natural heritage beyond national borders,” the committee wrote in the decision.
“Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats” consists of four separate regions spanning 1,290 square kilometers, an area approximately double the size of Seoul. The four coastal wetlands are found in the jurisdictions of five municipal governments along the country’s southern and western shores. The sites are Seocheon Getbol in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong Province; Gochang Getbol in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province; Sinan Getbol in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province; and Boseong-Suncheon Getbol in Boseong County and Suncheon City, both in South Jeolla Province.
The sites are known as stopovers for more than 22 endangered migratory birds, according to the CHA, as well as providing a habitat for about 2,169 species of fauna.
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| Shorebirds are seen on Seocheon Getbol in South Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration |
“Being a World Heritage Site means that these important wetland habitats will receive the highest level of protection. Millions of migratory waterbirds… will benefit, including globally threatened species such as the spoon-billed sandpiper, Far Eastern curlew and hooded crane,” Doug Watkins, chief executive of the East Asian―Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), an international partnership to conserve migratory waterbirds, said in a statement.
“It will strengthen international collaboration, particularly in the vision of trans-boundary joint efforts with China and DPR Korea, to conserve the wetlands of the Yellow Sea region, the irreplaceable migration hub for migratory waterbirds shared by the 22 countries in the Flyway.”
The CHA applied for a preliminary review of the four tidal flat sites in January 2019 and the assessment was supposed to be held last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an advisory body for the UNESCO, recommended “defer,” the second-lowest in a four-tier system that includes “inscribe,” “refer,” “defer” and “not to inscribe,” for the site failing to meet some criteria, such as “representing major stages of the Earth’s history” and “significant ongoing ecological and biological processes,” according to CHA officials. It is not impossible to be listed after receiving a “defer” recommendation, although it is considered tough to make it onto the list after receiving that recommendation.
Therefore, it had to undergo a more in-depth assessment or substantial revision for consideration of the listing.
Korean tidal flats to join UNESCO Natural World Heritage list
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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