IUCN recommends adding Yeosu, Goheung, Muan, Seosan tidal flats to UNESCO World Heritage list

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recommended expanding the UNESCO World Heritage inscription of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" to include a second phase encompassing tidal flats in Yeosu, Goheung, Muan and Seosan. The final decision will be made at the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, to be held in Busan next month.

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Friday that the IUCN had recommended the World Heritage Committee approve the expansion inscription of the Korean tidal flats' second phase.

The IUCN determined that the Phase 2 sites meet World Heritage inscription criterion 10 — outstanding natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity. The body also recommended approval of a significant boundary modification to expand the existing World Heritage property, and found that the sites satisfy the criteria for outstanding universal value, integrity, and protection and management requirements.

The recommendation calls for adding four sites to the existing World Heritage property: the Yeosu, Goheung, Muan and Seosan tidal flats.

If the expansion is confirmed, the Korean tidal flats will form a serial heritage site comprising six components: the Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung tidal flat, the Sinan-Muan Tando Bay tidal flat, the Muan Hamhae Bay tidal flat, the Gochang tidal flat, the Seocheon tidal flat and the Seosan tidal flat.

The original "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" inscription — covering the Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan, and Boseong-Suncheon tidal flats — was granted at the 44th World Heritage Committee session in 2021. At the time, the committee recommended pursuing a Phase 2 expansion to include additional tidal flat areas in order to strengthen the property's outstanding universal value.

Alongside its recommendation, the IUCN proposed that South Korea continue analyzing the additional tidal flat areas and work to secure community support. It also recommended preserving traditional fishing practices and tidal flat resource-gathering culture, and strengthening international cooperation to protect the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

The final decision on the Phase 2 inscription will be made at the 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan next month.

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said they plan to work with relevant local governments, communities and the Korean Tidal Flats World Heritage Inscription Promotion Committee to strengthen the conservation and management of the site's world heritage values, implement the IUCN's recommendations, and secure the final inscription.