China's Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf migratory bird habitat has been expanded again, with the Changshan Archipelago migratory bird habitat in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, officially added to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The boundary modification was approved on Monday at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The inclusion of the Changshan Archipelago marks the second expansion of the serial World Heritage property since 2024. The expansion further improves the integrity of the habitat and represents China's efforts to coordinate the protection of coastal natural resources across land and sea.

Located in the northern Yellow Sea and administered by Dalian, the Changshan Archipelago lies along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. It serves as an important island group where millions of migratory birds replenish their energy during their migration across the Bohai Sea.

The newly added area covers more than 4,900 hectares and includes four core components: Fantuozi of Guanglu Island, Toutuozi of Gexian Island, Dahaozi Island and the southern reef zone of Baxiao Island.

Together with the Snake Island-Laotieshan and Yalu River Estuary migratory bird habitats on the Liaodong Peninsula, the Changshan Archipelago forms an ecological corridor linking terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

The area is rich in biodiversity, with more than 140 recorded bird species. It is home to the world's largest breeding colony of the Chinese egret and provides year-round habitat for nationally protected species, including the black-faced spoonbill and the western Pacific spotted seal.

China has continued to advance a protected area system centered on national parks in recent years, providing support for the systematic and integrated conservation of its World Heritage sites.

China now has 15 World Natural Heritage sites and four mixed cultural and natural heritage sites, the highest total in the world.