How Jeollabuk-do's 432 Billion Won Project Will Save the UNESCO-Listed Gochang Tidal Flats

[iNews24 reporter Kim Yang-geun] Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province will launch a comprehensive conservation and restoration program totaling 43.2 billion KRW (approximately $32.4 million) to protect the ecology of the Gochang–Buan tidal flats, a World Natural Heritage site, and to establish a foundation for their sustainable use.

The provincial government is implementing layered policies — from managing marine protected areas and restoring vegetation to creating migratory-bird habitats and establishing a World Heritage management hub — to systematically preserve the internationally recognized value of the tidal-flat ecosystem.

First, the province is running a marine protected-area management program covering 69.5㎢ (about 26.8 sq mi) of coastal wetlands — including the Gochang tidal flats and Buan Julpo Bay — with annual funding of 300 million KRW (approximately $225,000 per year). Through local management committees, volunteer wetland ecological guides and ecological education programs, the province is strengthening a community-led self-management system.

The province is also pursuing vegetation-restoration projects to recover tidal-flat functions and increase carbon sequestration. From 2023 through 2028, it will invest 15.0 billion KRW (approximately $11.25 million) in the Gochang tidal flats to establish salt-tolerant plant communities — such as chilmyeoncho, namunjae and tungtungmadi — and to install waterfront access facilities to restore ecological functions.

In Buan Julpo Bay, the province plans to invest 5.1 billion KRW (approximately $3.83 million) from 2026 through 2029 to establish salt-tolerant plant communities and to construct an approximately 850-meter (about 2,790-foot) visitor trail.

The province will also create nesting and resting habitat for shorebirds to conserve biodiversity in the World Natural Heritage Gochang tidal flats. Between 2025 and 2027, it will invest 5.0 billion KRW (approximately $3.75 million) to build artificial wetlands and birdwatching facilities and otherwise improve conditions for migratory birds, strengthening the site’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

Jeonbuk will establish the Gochang Tidal Flats World Heritage Regional Center to integrate research, education and exhibition functions. With an investment of 17.0 billion KRW (approximately $12.75 million), the center will include laboratories, classrooms and exhibition space and serve as the central hub for Jeonbuk’s tidal-flat conservation policy.

Separately, Du-eo Village in Gochang was selected as a nationally designated tidal-flat ecological village through a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries competition. The province will invest 860 million KRW (approximately $645,000) to upgrade visitor facilities and build local capacity. Officials say they will implement a sustainable management model that advances ecological conservation while revitalizing the local economy.

Kim Mi-jung, director of the Saemangeum Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Jeonbuk Province, said, “The tidal flats in Jeonbuk, inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site, are a precious natural asset recognized internationally. Through ecosystem restoration and the development of an ecotourism hub, we will build a sustainable foundation where tidal-flat conservation and local economic growth proceed together.”