Dalian’s Changshan Islands Migratory Bird Habitat Successfully Inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site

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DALIAN, China, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On July 27, 2026, at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea, the Migratory Bird Habitat of the Changshan Islands in Dalian, Liaoning Province, was successfully inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List. The Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee stated that this marks Dalian’s second successful extension of its World Heritage nominations following the inclusion of Snake Island-Laotie Mountain in 2024. It also makes Liaoning the first province nationwide to have three heritage components within the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries series along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China.

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The Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee introduced that the Changshan Islands lie in the northern Yellow Sea, east of the Liaodong Peninsula, with their core areas under the administration of Changhai County, Dalian. The newly designated heritage site covers a total of 4,962.62 hectares and includes four key zones: Fantuozi of Guanglu Island, Toutuozi of Gexian Island, Wushi of Dahaozi Island, and the southern reef belt of Bashao Island. As a vital stopover along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, the Changshan Islands serve as an important energy replenisher and habitat for millions of migratory birds crossing the sea during their seasonal journeys. They are home to the world’s largest breeding population of Chinese egrets (Egretta eulophotes) and are widely acclaimed as the “Hometown of Chinese Egrets”.

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This inscription improves the integrity of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries series along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China. Together with the Snake Island-Laotie Mountain and the Yalu River Estuary in Dandong, the islands constitute an interconnected ecological corridor linking land and sea. The inscription also fills a long-standing gap in fixed-point monitoring of migratory bird breeding on northern Chinese islands, providing a measurable and replicable Chinese model for the systematic conservation of island-based migratory bird habitats worldwide.

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The Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee noted that the inscription of the Changshan Islands Migratory Bird Habitat as a World Natural Heritage Site has added a world-class ecological luster to the region’s sea angling industry. Located at the convergence of warm and cold ocean currents, Changshan Islands boast abundant marine ranching resources. Local authorities have prioritized ecology by strictly regulating fishing activities during bird breeding seasons. To integrate ecological protection efforts with recreational fishing, they are developing a coordinated industrial chain combining sea angling competitions, local seafood delicacies, and island homestays. Building on their global ecological recognition, the Changshan Islands are fostering the integrated growth of ecological birdwatching and premium sea angling, in a bid to carve out a new pathway for island industry where humanity and nature coexist in harmony.

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Source: Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee

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