ASIA / PACIFIC SOUTH CHINA KARST (PHASE II) (Extension of the “South China Karst”) CHINA China – South China Karst (Phase II) WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATION – IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION SOUTH CHINA KARST (PHASE II) (CHINA) – ID No. 1248 Bis IUCN RECOMMENDATION TO WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: To approve the extension under natural criteria. Key paragraphs of Operational Guidelines: Paragraph 77: Nominated property meets World Heritage criteria. Paragraph 78: Nominated property meets integrity or protection and management requirements. Background note: This nomination of Phase II of the South China Karst (SCK) seeks to extend Phase I of the property which was inscribed under criteria (vii) and (viii) in 2007 (Decision 31 COM 8.B11). At the time of the first inscription of SCK the World Heritage Committee recommended that the State Party consider this as Phase I of a larger World Heritage nomination, and consider whether the extent of subsequent phases of the entire series could be rationalized into a smaller number of sites and a single phase of nomination rather than two phases. The Committee added that the potential application of criterion (ix) should be considered in relation to the entire series that is eventually proposed. The Committee also recommended a number of other actions to the State Party including review of the boundaries of the (Phase I) Wulong cluster; continued efforts to manage catchment areas with the potential to impact on karst values; continued efforts to positively engage local people in management and future additions to the site; and urging transnational collaboration with Viet Nam on karst systems. 1. DOCUMENTATION for UNESCO; the Division of WH and Scenic & Historic Areas Management, MoHURD; and many other a) Date nomination received by IUCN: 20 March 2013 stakeholders. b) Additional information officially requested from e) Field Visit: Les Molloy and Kyung Sik Woo, 20-31 and provided by the State Party: Following the August 2013 technical evaluation mission the State Party was requested to provide supplementary information on 13 f) Date of IUCN approval of this report: March 2014 December 2013. The information was received on 21 February 2014. 2. SUMMARY OF NATURAL VALUES c) Additional literature consulted: Various sources listed in the nomination, and in the earlier IUCN The nominated area for Phase II of the South China evaluation report, including Ford and Williams (2007) Karst (SCK) covers a nominated property of 49,537 Karst Hydrology and Geomorphology. IUCN (2008) hectares (ha) with buffer zones of 77,800 ha which are World Heritage Caves and Karst – A Thematic Study, not part of the nominated area. Phase II of the SCK IUCN World Heritage Studies No. 2. Palmer (2007) includes five separate components in four clusters Cave Geology. Woo (2005) Caves – A Wonderful across three Provinces. The State Party has advised, in Underground. February 2014, of a modification to the boundary of the Lijiang component within the Guilin Karst cluster. This d) Consultations: 22 desk reviews received. The increased the nominated area of the Lijiang component mission also met with elected officials and senior from 13,910 ha to 22,544 ha. Table 1 shows the representatives including the Institute of Karst Geology; relationship of SCK Phase I and Phase II areas. The Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences; Southwest nomination of these additional areas if inscribed would University; Guizhou Normal University; the Chongqing contribute to an overall SCK serial property of 97,125 ha Municipal Government; the Jinfoshan Management with a total buffer zone of 176,228 ha compromising Committee; the People’s Government of Guizhou twelve components across four Provinces. Province; the Bureau of Tourism Development and Scenic Resources Management of Southeast Guizhou Table 2 shows the configuration of areas nominated as Autonomous Prefecture; the Committee of Huanjiang SCK Phase II which is the subject of this evaluation. Maonan Autonomous County; the Mayor of the People’s Government of Guilin City; the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; the Management Administration of Lijiang National Park; the Chinese National Commission IUCN Evaluation Report – April 2014 19 China – South China Karst (Phase II) Nominated Buffer Zone South China Karst Phase Serial configuration property (ha) (ha) 7 components in 3 Provinces SCK Phase I 47,588 98,428 (Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing) 5 components in 3 Provinces SCK Phase II 49,537 77,800 (Guizhou, Guangxi, Chongqing) 12 components in 4 Provinces Total area (ha) 97,125 176,228 (Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Guangxi) Table 1: Relationship of SCK Phase I to Phase II areas. Name of the site County and province Core zone (ha) Buffer zone (ha) Jinfoshan Karst Nanchuan District, Chongqing City 6,744 10,675 Shibing Karst Shibing County, Guizhou Province 10,280 18,015 Huanjiang Monan Autonomous County, Guangzi Huanjiang Karst 7,129 4,430 Zhuang Autonomous Region Guilin City, Guangxi Putao Fenglin Karst Section 2,840 21,610 Guilin Karst Zhuang Lijiang Fengcong Karst 22,544 23,070 Autonomous Region Section Total area (ha) 49,537 77,800 Table 2: Name and areas of the SCK Phase II nominated core zones and their surrounding buffer zones. The region of South China (including territory of both develop where the water table was shallow, while China and in neighbouring countries) has one of the fengcong developed where the water table was deeper. largest karst areas in the world, extending continuously Guilin karst illustrates the on-going process of fenglin over about 550,000 km2 and recognized as one of the karst development, and also strong evidence to show great karst regions in the world, and certainly in the that fengcong relief and fenglin relief can develop tropics and sub-tropics. It also serves as the type locality simultaneously. Guilin Karst represents the near end for two globally significant karst landforms – fengcong stage of geomorphological evolution of karst in a humid and fenglin. Fengcong is an extensive limestone tropical to subtropical environment. Guilin Karst is widely landscape made up of conical peaks separated by acknowledged as having the world’s best expression of irregular depressions and valleys. Rates of limestone a tower karst landscape and has been internationally solution are enhanced by tropical and sub-tropical recognized as the type-site of continental tower karst. vegetation and abundant rainfall. Drainage is thus Due to its scenic quality the Guilin Karst is an extremely entirely underground, caves can occur at several levels popular tourist attraction in China. and these can feed large springs. Where large rivers intersect this karst, basal corrosion and cliff collapse The Shibing Karst is a spectacular and very unusual produce steep-sided, tall karst towers termed fenglin. fengcong karst with gorges developed in pure, thick and ancient dolomite rocks. The area displays strong karst The karst terrain displays a geomorphic transition as the development in a mid-subtropical karst gorge area with terrain gradually descends about 2000m from the deep river incision. The area demonstrates that relatively western Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to the eastern insoluble dolomite can also develop typical and Guangxi Basin. The existing SCK sites together with the spectacular karst landforms, provided environmental currently nominated extension track the evolution of conditions are appropriate. The Shibing Karst displays karst development from the high inland plateau of varied karst landforms including flat top hills, cliffs, and Yunnan, where ancient karst remains almost canyons resulting in columnar-shaped isolated peaks, undissected, to the lowlands of Guangxi where karst tufted-peak-clusters, and knife-ridge mountains. landforms can be seen in their final stages of evolution Numerous vertical fractures with almost horizontal as isolated karst towers on corrosion plains. stratification in massive dolomite are responsible for these special landforms which are quite distinguishable The Guilin Karst has been developed in massive from limestone landforms. Devonian limestone which has been folded. Differential tectonic processes combined with allogeneic (rainfed) The Jinfoshan Karst is a unique karst table-mountain water input and special hydrological conditions in a characterized by underground river and cave systems humid climate provide excellent conditions for the with high altitude and multi-level planation surfaces formation of various karst landforms. The area is surrounded by massive towering cliffs. Jinfoshan characterized by fenglin (tower karst) as well as illustrates the process of dissection of the high elevation fengcong (cone karst) landforms. Because of differential karst plateau by deep fluvial incision and contains tectonic movements and associated contrasting evidence of the region’s intermittent uplift and hydrogeological conditions, fenglin karst was able to karstification since the Cenozoic. Thus Jinfoshan has 20 IUCN Evaluation Report – April 2014 China – South China Karst (Phase II) been isolated from the high inland plateau by incision of criterion (vii) or (viii); there are another 31 on Tentative the surrounding rivers. Beneath the plateau surface are Lists. The comparative analysis provides clear reasoning dismembered huge horizontal cave systems that appear on why the limited selection of sites in Phase II of the at around 2000 m elevation on cliff faces. These once South China karst is justified, and analysis has been