BADAIN JARAN: The Badain Jaran Desert in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region – with huge sand dunes and many lakes – was on Friday inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India.
The Badain Jaran Desert is known for its unique and diverse landscape and is notable for having more than 100 spring-fed lakes scattered among the dunes, 12 of which are freshwater. The desert is also home to a variety of plant and wildlife species, including swans, argali and foxes.
In addition, China’s Migratory Bird Reserves along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf Coast (Phase II) were also inscribed on the World Heritage List during the World Heritage Committee meeting.
Migratory bird sanctuaries along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf coast are located in the Yellow Sea Ecoregion, which contains the largest continuous mudflat in the world. It is the central hub of the East Asia-Australia Flyway (EAAF), which is the world’s most endangered migratory flyway and boasts the largest number of endangered and critically endangered species.
The area has high biodiversity with about 280 species of fish and more than 500 species of invertebrates that provide a variety of food sources for millions of migratory birds.
