By Xinhua writer Zhang Can
SUNCHEON, South Korea, May 30 (Xinhua) -- At low tide, vast mudflats emerge beneath the sunlight along South Korea's southern coast. Curving waterways wind through endless reed fields, forming the famous S-shaped channels of Suncheon Bay in South Jeolla Province, one of the country's most celebrated wetland landscapes.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds descend on the bay. Flocks of hooded cranes, spoonbills and curlews feed and rest on the flats before continuing their journeys along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world's most important bird migratory routes.
As a part of the Korean Tidal Flats, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site for its biodiversity conservation, Suncheon Bay offers a glimpse of how communities, authorities and international partners can work together to safeguard nature for future generations.
The bay contains a rich mosaic of mudflats, reed beds, coastal waters and farmland, providing habitats for about 252 bird species, including 45 endangered species.
Today, Suncheon Bay is known internationally as an ecological tourism destination. Yet only a few decades ago, its future looked different.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the wetland faced mounting pressure from land reclamation, urban expansion, shellfish harvesting and infrastructure development. Restaurants, parking lots, duck farms and fishing facilities are occupied areas that are now protected habitats.
"Suncheon faced a critical choice, whether to continue radical development or protect nature and build a different future," said Kim Seon-sun, director of the Suncheon Garden City Center.
The city chose the latter path.
Over the years, the city relocated polluting facilities, removed infrastructure from sensitive habitats and restored degraded ecosystems. The wetland was designated a protected area in 2003 and became part of the UNESCO-listed Korean Tidal Flats in 2021.
The most visible symbol of recovery is the hooded crane, a globally threatened migratory species. According to Kim, only 167 hooded cranes were recorded in Suncheon Bay in 2006. Last year, the number reached about 8,500.
Conservation efforts now extend beyond simply protecting existing habitats.
Tidal flats serve as nurseries for marine life, feeding grounds for migratory birds and natural buffers against coastal disasters. According to Kim, authorities are now purchasing land in upstream and estuarine areas and carrying out restoration projects that reconnect seawater flows to former reclaimed zones, allowing mudflats to recover naturally.
Additional habitats are being created for species such as the black-faced spoonbill and Eurasian curlew.
In Suncheon, residents are conservation partners.
When cranes arrive during winter, residents voluntarily install reed fences, helping manage visitor access and participate in environmental education activities.
"Protection here is no longer simply about restrictions," said Park Seon-yong, deputy director of the Marine Ecology Division at South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "It has become part of the local economy and community life."
Residents say they have witnessed the environmental changes firsthand.
Cha Hyung-ho, a 67-year-old resident of the nearby Yeoja Island, often watches waterbirds gathering on the mudflats during low tide.
"When the tide goes out, you can see many birds coming to feed," he said. "The air is good here, the environment is beautiful, and people keep coming back."
Like many coastal residents, he hopes future conservation efforts will include greater support for marine cleanup projects to improve fish habitats and sustain local livelihoods.
Beyond local conservation efforts, Suncheon Bay is increasingly connected to a broader international network of wetland protection.
Located along the Yellow Sea coast, the wetlands of China and South Korea form vital links in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. As birds cross national boundaries, conservation efforts do the same.
The Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List through Phase I (2019) and Phase II (2024), and South Korea's Korean Tidal Flats, added to the list in 2021, are among the most important stopover and wintering sites along the flyway.
Recognizing the shared ecological significance, China's Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland and Natural Heritage Site Conservation and Management Center and South Korea's Korean Tidal Flat World Heritage Promotion Team signed a memorandum of understanding last year.
"We have learned valuable experience from China's Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland, particularly in conservation management and public education," said Choi Jin-yi, secretary-general of the Korean Tidal Flat World Heritage Promotion Team. "By sharing research results, monitoring data and conservation knowledge, we can grow together."
"The Yellow Sea connects our wetlands through a shared flyway. Through closer cooperation, South Korea and China can help ensure that migratory birds continue to find safe habitats throughout their journey," Choi added. Enditem
(Xinhua reporters Chen Yi, Huang Xinxin, Yang Chang, Sun Yiran, Chen Shengwei contributed to the story.)