S. Korea to build W39b tidal flat conservation center in Sinan-gun

Opening set for 2029; construction begins this month

Follow-up to addition of four new sites to UNESCO World Natural Heritage list

Facility to support biodiversity research, integrated management and exhibitions

An artist's rendering of the planned Tidal Flat World Natural Heritage Conservation Center in Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province. [Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries]

A dedicated facility to manage South Korea's UNESCO World Natural Heritage tidal flats will be established in Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province. The government will invest 39 billion won ($28.8 million) in national funds to build a research and exhibition center for surveying the biodiversity of the tidal flats and systematically managing the heritage sites. The project follows the expansion of South Korea's tidal flat World Natural Heritage designation in July.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced it will break ground this month on the Tidal Flat World Natural Heritage Conservation Center in Sinan-gun, part of the planned Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special city. Design work was completed in May, and the facility is targeted to open in 2029.

The center will rise two stories above ground on a site covering 41,221 square meters, with a total floor area of 7,980 square meters. The entire 39 billion won project cost will be funded by the national government. The facility will include research and exhibition spaces for surveying the biodiversity of the tidal flat heritage sites and coordinating integrated management across the multiple regions where the flats are located.

South Korea's tidal flats were first inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List in July 2021, when the Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan, and Boseong-Suncheon tidal flats received the designation. This past July, the Seosan, Muan, Goheung and Yeosu tidal flats were added, expanding the scope of the heritage area.

The construction of the conservation center fulfills a recommendation made by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at the time of the original inscription, which called for the establishment of an integrated management framework for the tidal flat heritage components spread across multiple regions.

South Korea's tidal flats are one of the country's two UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites, alongside Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to use the center as a hub linking research, survey and management functions to build a systematic conservation foundation for the tidal flat heritage.

"It is deeply meaningful that construction is beginning on the Tidal Flat World Natural Heritage Conservation Center, which will serve as the core infrastructure for integrated management, following the remarkable achievement of expanding South Korea's tidal flat heritage designation," said Seo Jeong-ho, director general for ocean policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "We will continue to work with related ministries and local governments to systematically preserve South Korea's tidal flats."

adastra@heraldcorp.com