Newly added migratory bird habitat in Dalian second expansion of property

The Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China were further expanded on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Monday. The move came after the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, the Republic of Korea, approved a boundary adjustment for the serial property, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The addition of the Changshan Islands migratory bird habitat in Dalian, Liaoning province, marks the second expansion of the property and further strengthens the integrity of the sanctuary. It also underscores China's integrated land-sea approach to the systematic protection of coastal natural resources, the administration said.

The Changshan Islands lie in the northern Yellow Sea along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world's most important migratory bird corridors.

The newly added area covers more than 4,900 hectares and comprises four core components: Fantuozi of Guanglu Island; Toutuozi of Gexian Island; Dahaozi Island; and the southern reef belt of Bashao Island. Together with the Shedao-Laotie Mountain and Yalu River Estuary components already inscribed on the Liaodong Peninsula, the new addition forms an interconnected land-sea ecological corridor.

More than 140 bird species have been recorded in the area. It hosts the world's largest breeding population of the Chinese egret, a first-class State-protected species classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The islands also provide year-round habitat for other first-class protected species, including the black-faced spoonbill and the Western Pacific spotted seal.

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The serial property features what is considered the world's largest intertidal mudflat system. Its mudflats, marshes and shoals are exceptionally productive, serving as important nursery grounds for numerous species of fish and crustaceans. Large concentrations of migratory birds, including some of the world's most endangered species, depend on the coastline as a stopover to moult, rest, winter or breed along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

The property was first inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, covering two areas in northern and southern Yancheng, Jiangsu province. A first expansion followed in 2024, when five additional areas were added: Chongming Dongtan in Shanghai; the Yellow River Estuary in Dongying, Shandong province; Nandagang in Cangzhou, Hebei province; Shedao-Laotie Mountain in Dalian, Liaoning province; and the Yalu River Estuary in Dandong, Liaoning province.

The administration said China has continued to advance the development of a protected area system centered on national parks while strengthening institutional support for the systematic and comprehensive protection of World Heritage sites. The country now has 15 natural World Heritage sites and four mixed natural and cultural World Heritage sites, the highest total in the world.

Contact the writers at limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn