Badain Jaran Desert in Alshaa joins World Heritage List

The lush, verdant lakes bring life to the Badain Jaran Desert. [Photo provided to goinnermongolia.com.cn]

After a deliberation process lasting years, China's wondrous and unique Badain Jaran Desert: Towers of Sand and Lakes was finally admitted into the World Heritage List at the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held on July 26 in New Delhi, India.

Inscribed formally on the UNESCO list as the Badain Jaran Desert: Towers of Sand and Lakes and located in the arid temperate desert region of the Alshaa Plateau in northwest China, it is the third-largest desert in the country.

It features unique landscapes of lakes and dunes, showcasing irreplaceable natural heritage value.

The crescent-shaped dune chains of the Badain Jaran Desert are a wonder to behold. [Photo provided to goinnermongolia.com.cn]

The World Natural Heritage site includes the world's densest cluster of towering sand dunes, the highest stable dunes and 144 unique inter-dune lakes.

The stunning three-dimensional landscape, with its clear and pure dune lines, wavy sand textures and melodious singing sands, offers a diverse aesthetic experience.

The rich flora and fauna, including cistanche, saxaul, Bactrian camels, and waterfowl, add vibrant life to the desert. The vividly colored inter-dune lakes – mostly saline – serve as thriving habitats for brine shrimp, mollusks and certain fish species, supporting the desert ecosystem.

The nomination process for the Badain Jaran Desert took seven years, starting in 2017. It was included in the Tentative List of World Heritage in 2019. In March 2020, UNESCO's World Heritage Centre completed the integrity review and forwarded the nomination to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for evaluation. After an on-site assessment by IUCN experts in 2023, the project was officially approved at this year's World Heritage Convention.