Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf — Phase II

UNESCO extension (Phase II, 2023) of the Yellow Sea migratory bird sanctuary property, adding intertidal mudflat and wetland sites in Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin and Shandong to the 2019 Phase I inscription in Jiangsu.

The Phase II extension of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, extending the existing property northward to include additional critical habitats along the eastern coast of China. The Phase II sites cover approximately 358,000 hectares across four provincial and municipal administrative units: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin and Shandong.

The Phase II addition brings in several ecologically significant areas. The Liaohe River Delta in Liaoning contains one of China's largest reed wetlands — Shuangtai Estuary — and is the most important wintering ground in China for the red-crowned crane, whose world population numbers only around 2,750 individuals. The Panjin Red Beach, where the estuary mudflats and shallow wetlands are dominated by red Suaeda salsa (sea blite) that turns crimson in autumn, is one of the most visually distinctive landscapes in northeast China.

The Bohai Bay wetlands in Hebei and Tianjin provide additional refuelling grounds for bar-tailed godwit, red knot and great knot on their transcontinental migrations. The Changdao Archipelago in Shandong, a chain of islands in the Bohai Strait, hosts large concentrations of raptors and passerine migrants during spring and autumn passage.

For birdwatchers, the Phase II sites add significant variety to the Phase I Yancheng and Dafeng sites in Jiangsu, and together the extended property covers the most important sections of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf coastline for migratory waterbirds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.