Overturning Rejection, Expanding by 22%: The Next Boundary for 'Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats' Is the Yellow Sea

Yeosu, Goheung, Muan, and Seosan Added: 156,386 ha Now Designated as Six Serial Heritage Sites
Korea’s First 'Significant Boundary Modification'... 2021 Recommendations Implemented After Five Years
Busan Joint Declaration Links Coastal Areas of Korea, China, and North Korea... Next Challenge: Phase 3 Expansion

The 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee plenary session was held on the morning of July 25 at BEXCO in Busan. As Korea was the country concerned with the agenda, Pierre Fay, Vice Chair of the Committee and Senegalese Ambassador to UNESCO, presided over the meeting instead of Chairperson Lee Byunghyun and announced the decision for the Phase 2 extension inscription of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats". When the decision was passed, the Korean delegation unfurled a banner reading "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats". The hall was filled with applause. This was the moment that the tidal flats, which managed to overturn the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s recommendation for rejection during their initial inscription in 2021, returned as an even broader World Heritage site after five years.

At the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee plenary session held on the 25th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan, the second phase registration of 'Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats' was confirmed, and Heo Min, Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, Park Suhyun, Governor of Chungnam Province, and local leaders from areas where the tidal flats are located hold congratulatory banners. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

A few hours later, in Room 102 of the first exhibition hall at BEXCO, the first question asked was not about celebration, but about what comes next. When the official side event, "Flying Beyond Borders", began, a map of the Yellow Sea connecting the west coast of the Korean Peninsula and the coast of China appeared on the screen. Presenters including Jennifer George, Executive Secretary of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), continuously emphasized "connectivity", "flyway", and "collaboration". They highlighted that there are no borders for migratory birds, and that the tidal flat ecosystem is also not confined by the boundaries of a single country.

With this expanded inscription, the tidal flats of Seosan in South Chungcheong, and Muan, Goheung, and Yeosu in South Jeolla, have been newly added to the previously inscribed sites of Seocheon, Gochang, Shinan, and Boseong–Suncheon. The heritage site has been restructured into six components: Boseong–Suncheon–Yeosu–Goheung, Shinan–Muan Tando Bay, Muan Hamhae Bay, Gochang, Seocheon, and Seosan tidal flats. The total heritage area is now 156,386 hectares, with a buffer zone of 105,303 hectares. Compared to Phase 1, the heritage area has expanded by about 22%.

This was not merely a matter of adding the names of four regions to a list. This evaluation followed the procedure of a "Significant Boundary Modification", which requires reassessing the identity and integrity of the existing World Heritage site. According to UNESCO guidelines, this process involves a review equivalent to that for a new inscription. This is the first time a Korean World Heritage site has received approval for a significant boundary modification. For this reason, the Phase 2 inscription is closer to a "reevaluation" than simply an "addition".

The challenge began in 2010. However, the first application submitted in 2018 was rejected by the World Heritage Centre for not meeting formal requirements such as map scales and management entities. Even after supplementing the documents and trying again, in 2021, IUCN once again recommended rejection, arguing that the heritage area was insufficient. Instead of withdrawing the application, the government chose to negotiate with the committee members, and a revised plan co-signed by 13 out of 21 committee countries was adopted, resulting in the initial inscription. However, the World Heritage Committee required the inclusion of additional tidal flats in Phase 2 to enhance the ecological integrity of the site at that time.

At the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held on the 25th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan, when the second phase of the registration of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" was confirmed, Heo Min, Director of the National Heritage Administration, expressed his gratitude. Photo by Yonhap News

This time, the evaluation was different. IUCN highly evaluated the systematic and scientific analysis of the value of the newly added areas and the extensive consultation with local communities. The extension of the Boseong–Suncheon tidal flats to encompass all of Yeoja Bay, their expansion to Yeosu and Goheung, the connection of Shinan and Muan Tando Bay, and the inclusion of Muan Hamhae Bay and Seosan tidal flats as independent components together improved the connectivity of habitats along the eastern Yellow Sea coast.

A total of 2,454 species of plants and animals have been identified in the expanded heritage site. Of the 216 bird species, 114 species are waterbirds, 44 species are shorebirds, and 24 species are globally endangered. Major species along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, such as Black-faced Spoonbill, Far Eastern Curlew, Nordmann's Greenshank, White-naped Crane, and Saunders's Gull, use the area for feeding, resting, or breeding. The World Heritage Committee determined that the site meets Criterion 10 for World Heritage inscription, which applies to sites of significant biodiversity and those critical for threatened species conservation.

On the day the boundaries of the World Heritage site were expanded, discussions on conservation also extended beyond Korea’s borders. That afternoon, the "Korean Tidal Flats World Heritage Inscription Promotion Team" along with UNESCO, EAAFP, the China Yancheng Wetland World Heritage Site Conservation and Management Center, and others, announced the "Busan Declaration for Cooperation in the Conservation of the Yellow Sea Tidal Flats and Coastal Wetlands". The declaration aims to expand conservation cooperation by treating Korea’s tidal flats, China’s "Yellow Sea–Bohai Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuaries", and the coastal wetlands on North Korea’s tentative list as a single ecological network.

Yeosu Mudflat. Korean Mudflat World Heritage Registration Promotion Team

The joint declaration is a voluntary and non-binding cooperation framework that does not address political or jurisdictional matters. Participating organizations will carry out joint monitoring of tidal flats and migratory bird populations, share data and research methodologies, conduct joint studies on changes in sediment and climate crisis impacts, manage invasive species such as Spartina, develop restoration technologies for tidal flats, and facilitate exchanges between local communities and site managers. Technical officers will be designated, and within 12 months, the first technical coordination meeting will be convened to establish specific cooperation projects and schedules.

This is the first practical case since the World Heritage Committee added "Collaboration" as its sixth strategic objective alongside the existing five: credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication, and community. It signifies a shift from nation-based competition over World Heritage inscription towards a system of co-management for ecosystems linked by migratory birds.

However, the Phase 2 inscription is not the endpoint. The World Heritage Committee strongly recommended analyzing additional tidal flats that have secured the support of local residents and governments and pursuing subsequent phase inscriptions. In the coastal areas of Incheon, including Ganghwa tidal flats, there are already calls for a Phase 3 inscription. UNESCO has also called for continuous monitoring, warning that coastal development, offshore wind power, both terrestrial and marine pollution, depletion of fishery resources, and climate change may threaten the integrity of the tidal flats.

Heo Min, Director of the National Heritage Administration, stated, "This expanded inscription is the result of faithfully implementing the 2021 recommendations from the World Heritage Committee, and it strengthens both the value of biodiversity conservation in our tidal flats and the overall integrity of the heritage. We feel a sense of responsibility that 'Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats' is not just a heritage for Korea, but a natural heritage that the global community must protect together, and we will enhance our efforts for systematic conservation, management, and sustainable use."

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