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News | WH+ST Workshop Held in Yancheng
  PublishDate:2024-12-20  Hits:372

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On December 11, 2024, the second phase of the UNESCO "World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme - Chinese Pilot Study Workshop for the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Workshop") was successfully held in Dafeng District and Caomiao Town, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province.


"World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism" (WH+ST) is a project established by UNESCO in 2012, aiming to improve the awareness and capacity of stakeholders in heritage sites for heritage protection, take World Heritage tourism as a starting point, encourage equal participation, develop partnerships, and promote the sustainable development of heritage sites.


The Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) in China was selected for the second phase of the WH+ST Chinese Pilot Study Project in 2024. The overall goals of the second phase of the project include the following three points:

1. promote and disseminate the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the World Natural Heritage of The Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I), and raise public awareness.
2. Strengthen the construction of partnerships with various stakeholders, and encourage the coordination of heritage protection and social development.
3. Develop high-quality tourism products that focus on the protection, interpretation, display and experience of world heritage values, achieve sustainable tourism of World Heritage, and build World Heritage tourism destinations.


This Workshop was hosted by WHITRAP Shanghai and Tongji University, co-organized by the Yancheng Wetland and World Natural Heritage Protection Management Center, the People's Government of Caomiao Town, and the Yancheng Doulonggang Ecological Tourism Holiday Group Co., Ltd., supported by "Eurynorhynchus pygmeus in China", the Yancheng Dafeng District Media Center, and the Cultural Landscape Committee of the China Society of Landscape Architecture.


Representatives from 35 different stakeholder groups, including heritage practitioners and managers from the People's Government of Caomiao Town, the Yancheng Wetland and World Natural Heritage Protection Management Center, the China Milu Park, and the Dongtai Tiaozi Ni Scenic Area; villagers and tourism practitioners from the Yancheng Birdwatching Association, Chuanshu Village, Weidong Village, Dongzao Village, and Chuandong Community; and tourism operators from the Yelu Dang Scenic Area; as well as 16 members of the World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism project team led by Professor Han Feng from Tongji University participated in the Workshop.


The Workshop focused on the above three goals and included opening remarks, special lectures, on-site study and collective discussions to explore the collaboration for sustainable tourism of the World Heritage site in Yancheng, promote multi-party exchanges, empower heritage site communities, and help the coordinated development of heritage protection and social economy.


Opening Remarks

The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Han Feng, Head of the Landscape Architecture Department of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University, and Project Leader of the UNESCO WH+ST Project in China. Li Hong, project director of WHITRAP Shanghai, and Zhang Ya’nan, deputy director of the Science and Monitoring Department of the Yancheng Wetland and World Natural Heritage Protection Management Center, delivered address respectively. 

Li Hong reviewed the path and effectiveness of the first phase of the China Pilot Project and placed high expectations on this workshop, hoping to build a win-win platform for stakeholders through the tools and methods of UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, design high-quality tourism products to improve people's well-being. 

Zhang Ya’nan gave high praise to the work of the second phase of the China Pilot Project and hoped to form an innovative collaborative model that takes into account the protection of bird biodiversity and its habitat, as well as the development of agriculture, fisheries and tourism in the demonstration area.

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Special Lectures

On the morning of the workshop, Professor Han Feng, Ms. Li Jing, Operations Director of "Eurynorhynchus pygmeus in China", and Associate Professor Guo Guangpu of the School of Life Sciences and Technology of Tongji University gave lectures and trainings to the workshop participants.

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Professor Han introduced the background, goals and significance of the UNESCO WH+ST Chinese Pilot Study, analyzed the OUV of World Natural Heritage the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I), shared the work methods and achievements of the first phase of the WH+ST Chinese Pilot Study, and the sustainable tourism development strategies and ideas of the second phase of the WH+ST Chinese Pilot Study carried out in Yancheng. He guided everyone to carry out "Joint Responsibility and Shared Value" sustainable tourism in world heritage sites, fully develop sustainable tourism centered on the protection, interpretation, display, experience and dissemination of OUV, establish partnerships in heritage sites, and achieve coordinated development of heritage protection and social economy.


Ms. Li Jing introduced the case of sustainable management of tidal flats and migratory bird habitat protection in Rudong, Jiangsu Province, and proposed that traditional artificial capture and tidal flat rotation can protect tidal flat habitats and provide food sources for migratory birds through ecological methods such as mud snail and clam farming. She shared the experience of cooperating with village collectives, scientific research institutions, public welfare partners, and grass-roots management departments to promote scientific research, nature education, and sustainable fisheries development.

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Associate Professor Guo Guangpu introduced the close relationship between the nesting, foraging and breeding activities of birds in different habitats of World Natural Heritage Sites and rural agriculture and fisheries, as well as the scientific knowledge and protection measures of different birds, emphasizing the "coexistence of people and birds" in heritage sites. Professor Guo adopted a group interaction method to guide workshop participants to autonomously discuss and write down the unique ecologically friendly agricultural products of the heritage site, the biodiversity that can be shown to tourists, agricultural activities and agricultural seasons, intangible cultural heritage and characteristic diets based on local experience, fully mobilizing everyone's enthusiasm for discovering local resources and participating in tourism.On-site interaction and discussion session

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On-site study and collective discussions of the four pilot projects

On the afternoon of the Workshop, 35 stakeholders from different units, communities and organizations in the heritage site and the Tongji University team visited Chuanshu Village, Yelu Dang Scenic Area, Weidong Village and Dongzao Village in Caomiao Town for on-site work. The four selected sites each have their own characteristics and fully take into account the livelihood types of fishing, tourism, agriculture and processing in the heritage site. First, campers from different rural communities introduced the characteristics of the village resources and the difficulties of participating in tourism, and then the collective members of the workshop brainstormed and proposed solutions. The on-site work was broadcast live online throughout the process, which facilitated more stakeholders to watch and participate in the discussion online.

 Fishing and Sustainable Tourism of World Heritage Site: Chuanshu Village is a traditional fishing village in the heritage site, facing restricted fish pond aquaculture, aging residents, lack of tourism participation opportunities, and human-miluwu conflicts. After listening to the rich and vivid introduction of the fishing experience of the fishermen in Chuanshu Village, the workshop members proposed strategies such as "linking scenic spot tour routes and integrating fishing culture display", "developing fresh products in sea tasting experiences for different seasons", "carrying out tidal flat shell collection, tidal fishing knowledge and other nature education", and "younger docents learn from old fishermen".

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Chuanshu Village On-site Work


➢ Interpretation of World Heritage Value and Nature Education: Yelu Dang is an ecological tourism scenic area, and there are problems such as insufficient interpretation of World Heritage value, single recreation experience and excessive reproduction of deer. Workshop participants have proposed strategies for the current situation, such as "upgrading and repairing existing tourism facilities, especially bird watching houses and interpretation signs", "enriching the types of vegetation in the scenic area and choosing fruit trees preferred by birds", "adding tourism routes to integrate surrounding rural landscapes and agricultural product resources", "providing scenic area connecting buses", and "consulting with the management department of the protected area to restrict the excessive reproduction of the deer population through reasonable and legal methods".

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Yelu Dang Scenic Area On-site study


➢Agriculture and Sustainable Tourism of World Heritage Site:Weidong Village is a rural village in the heritage site that operates pear orchards and farms, facing problems such as the lack of World Heritage added value in agricultural activities and agricultural products, lack of tourism participation opportunities, and how to deal with the relationship between birds and pear trees. Workshop participants have proposed strategies such as "opening up some pear trees to provide food for birds", "applying for eco-friendly agricultural product certification for pear orchard products", "optimizing the packaging design of agricultural products and integrating ecological value interpretation", "displaying agricultural technology and plant growth process through pear orchard slow live broadcast", and "strengthening the integration of pear orchards and traditional cultural activities".

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Weidong Village On-site study


➢ Community Processing and Sustainable Tourism of World Heritage Sites: Dongzao Village is a community in the heritage site that operates processing, and there are problems such as single processing products and lack of tourism participation opportunities. Workshop participants have proposed strategies such as "transformation from manual economy to handicraft product production", "sewing simple cotton cloth embroidery and coaster", "learning and producing embroidery and other processing products", and "providing cultural and creative products for heritage site scenic spots".

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Dongzao Village On-site study



After participating in the workshop, the villagers said that they have learned about the World Natural Heritage value and bird knowledge, realized the close connection between traditional fishing and agriculture and world heritage, and inspired their enthusiasm for telling the story of heritage well. Scenic area tourism operators say that community fishing and agricultural culture provides resources and opportunities to enrich recreation experiences. Heritage protection workers and Tongji University teachers and students also provide suggestions for community livelihoods and sustainable tourism. Everyone reached a consensus on the view that "scenic spots and communities should closely cooperate and develop together" and deepened its implementation.

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Heritage Value Interpretation Booklet and Cultural and Creative Products of the Workshop


This Workshop has enhanced the protection, interpretation, display, experience and dissemination of the OUV of the World Natural Heritage of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I), promoted the "coexistence of people and birds" in the heritage site, promoted the construction of partnerships and cooperation networks among various stakeholders, and promoted the coordinated development of world natural heritage protection and social economy sustainable development, effectively implementing the goals of the second phase of the WH+ST China Pilot Study.

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