Muan Mudflat Listed as UNESCO World Natural Heritage... Recognized Globally as an Ecological Treasure

From Korea's First Wetland Protected Area to a World Natural Heritage Site

Expanded Inscription of 'Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2' Confirmed

The Muan mudflat in Muan County, Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan Special City, has been officially listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, setting a new milestone as Korea's first wetland protected area to become a shared natural heritage of humanity requiring global conservation.

On the 25th, Muan Tidal Flat, representing Korea, was inscribed as an expanded World Heritage site. Photo by Muan-gun

The county announced that at the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held at BEXCO in Busan on July 25, the proposal for the expanded inscription of the "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2," which includes the Muan mudflat, was officially adopted.

With this designation, the Muan mudflat has been internationally recognized for its outstanding ecological value and is now registered as a natural heritage site requiring joint preservation by the global community.

The Muan mudflat was designated in 2001 as Korea's first wetland protected area, serving as the starting point for the country’s tidal flat conservation policy. It was later listed as a Ramsar Wetland in 2008, and through the recent UNESCO World Natural Heritage inscription, it has now been incorporated into an international protection framework.

Notably, the newly inscribed heritage zone encompassing the Tando Bay and Hampyeong Bay areas covers a total area of 116.84 km², making it the largest among the sites included in the "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" inscription.

The Muan mudflat is renowned for its exceptional ecological value. It is home to 1,111 species of marine life, and 17 species of internationally endangered birds using the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF) have been observed here, attesting to its status as a habitat with remarkable global biodiversity.

Importantly, its role as a crucial stopover site for endangered waterbirds and migratory birds has been recognized as having international significance for ecosystem conservation, providing key justification for this World Natural Heritage inscription.

With this listing, the county plans to foster the systematic conservation of the Muan mudflat, promote ecological tourism, and expand environmental education, positioning it as a new growth engine for the region.

There are also plans to establish future strategies that will utilize the World Natural Heritage brand to expand the foundation for ecological tourism, invigorate the local economy, and simultaneously achieve sustainable development.

San Kim, Governor of Muan County, stated, "The conservation efforts that began in 2001 with Korea’s first designation of the Muan mudflat as a wetland protected area have finally borne fruit in the form of its UNESCO World Natural Heritage inscription. With this milestone, we will further strengthen systematic conservation of the Muan mudflat’s ecological value, build it into a global hub for ecological tourism, and actively pursue a new transformation for regional development."

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