The Badain Jaran Desert in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region – with its enormous mega sand dunes and multiple lakes – was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Friday during the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9.jpeg'The Badain Jaran Desert is seen in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9.jpeg'The Badain Jaran Desert is seen in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9/28b8411a978f4231a5b2877baac200d9.jpeg'The Badain Jaran Desert is seen in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
The Badain Jaran Desert is known for its unique and varied landscapes, and is notable for having more than 100 spring-fed lakes scattered among the dunes, with 12 of them being freshwater ones. The desert is also home to a variety of plant species and wildlife, including swans, argali, and foxes.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb.jpeg'A file photo shows a “haizi” or lake in the Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb.jpeg'A file photo shows a “haizi” or lake in the Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb.jpeg'A file photo shows a “haizi” or lake in the Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb/450664d23a8646e1b443c5f0ae9c6bfb.jpeg'A file photo shows a “haizi” or lake in the Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. /IC
In addition, China’s Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II) was also inscribed in the World Heritage List during the World Heritage Committee session.
The migratory bird sanctuaries along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf coast are located in the Yellow Sea ecoregion, containing the world’s largest continuous mudflat seashore. It is the central node of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), which is the most threatened migratory flyway worldwide and boasts the largest number of endangered and critically endangered species.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f.jpeg'A red-crested crane is pictured wearing a tracking device in a sanctuary at the mouth of the Yellow River in Dongying, Shandong Province. /CFP
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f.jpeg'A red-crested crane is pictured wearing a tracking device in a sanctuary at the mouth of the Yellow River in Dongying, Shandong Province. /CFP
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-07-26/Two-of-China-s-natural-heritage-sites-added-to-World-Heritage-List-1vygXPr5YXu/img/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f/4760ca294b2f4234a5bc4da38c690b2f.jpeg'A red-crested crane is pictured wearing a tracking device in a sanctuary at the mouth of the Yellow River in Dongying, Shandong Province. /CFP
The area has high biodiversity, with about 280 fish species and more than 500 species of invertebrates, providing a variety of food resources for millions of migratory birds.
Phase I of the area was included in the World Heritage List in July 2019.
