The Okefenokee Swamp, one of the planet’s most expansive freshwater wetland systems, shelters a remarkable range of wildlife across its sprawling marshes, peatlands and waterways.
SEOUL, South Korea — Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, a centuries-old Buddhist temple in southern Thailand and South Korea’s western tidal flats were among the latest landmarks added Saturday to the UNESCO World Heritage List during a U.N. committee session in South Korea.
The World Heritage Committee meetings in Busan are scheduled to run through next Wednesday, with delegates weighing dozens of additional nominations. Sites under review include France’s D-Day landing beaches, Greece’s Mount Olympus and Japan’s ancient Asuka-Fujiwara capitals.
The Okefenokee Swamp boasts impressive biodiversity
UNESCO describes the Okefenokee Swamp as one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems, a vast and largely intact wetland landscape that sustains exceptional biodiversity and feeds two major rivers. Its deep peat deposits, mostly undisturbed for millennia, hold a 5,000-year environmental record, giving scientists rare insight into long-term ecological and climate change while underscoring the swamp’s global conservation value.
The designation elevates the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to the ranks of celebrated American World Heritage sites such as the Grand Canyon. Still, the listing has drawn concern from some residents, who worry it could invite greater United Nations influence over how the refuge is managed.
“We accept this inscription not as a finish line, but as a commitment to keep the Okefenokee wild, resilient, and thriving for generations to come,” said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the nonprofit Okefenokee Swamp Park, which helped the U.S. government prepare the refuge’s nomination.
A Thai 13th-century Buddhist temple with unique architecture makes the list
Also added to the World Heritage List was Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in southern Thailand famed for its 78-meter, or 255-foot, stupa and distinctive architectural style. The inscription makes it Thailand’s ninth World Heritage site.
UNESCO has called the temple an exceptional example of Theravada Buddhist architecture and a living center of worship, where centuries-old religious practices continue to attract large numbers of devotees. Thailand first submitted the site for consideration in 2012, beginning more than a decade of work to satisfy the requirements for World Heritage nomination.
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While the World Heritage listing is expected to dramatically increase visitors to the temple, Kanop Ketchart, mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat City, said officials are prepared to address potential infrastructure and capacity challenges.
“We have prepared our infrastructure, buffer zoning and evacuation plan to fit all the requirements of UNESCO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press this month. “More importantly, the people are getting used to all this process for almost 10 years. So they are very much looking forward to (it).”
Religious, environmental and historic sites join the World Heritage List
Sarnath, an ancient Buddhist site in the northern Indian city of Varanasi, was another Asian religious location newly added to the World Heritage List. Recognized as the sacred location where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, the site’s architectural and archaeological properties remain deeply significant despite periods of decline and revival, UNESCO said.
The committee also decided to expand the World Heritage listing of the South Korean “getbol” tidal flats with four additional coastal wetlands in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu in the country’s west. UNESCO had previously inscribed four other South Korean tidal flats in 2021 for their biodiversity and crucial role as a stopover for migratory birds.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the expanded designation of the tidal flats “reaffirms the importance of international cooperation for the conservation of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway,” a major migratory bird route that stretches from the Arctic through Asia to Australia and New Zealand.
Centuries-old handicraft porcelain industry sites in the eastern Chinese city of Jingdezhen were another new addition to the World Heritage List. The sites trace the evolution of handcrafted porcelain production in China from the 10th to the 19th centuries, showcasing innovations that helped make Jingdezhen a leading center for fine porcelain, with its blue-and-white porcelain becoming a global symbol of Chinese craftsmanship, according to UNESCO.
The Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros secured its first World Heritage listing after the committee inscribed six historic towns dating to the 11th century that later emerged as the principal urban centers of the country’s sultanates. UNESCO says the towns reflect centuries of cultural exchange through Indian Ocean trade networks while preserving distinctive urban traditions shaped by African, Arab and Islamic influences.
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