CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Heritage Committee decided Wednesday to inscribe three new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: the Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar), South China Karst (China), and Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (South Korea).

The Rainforests of the Atsinanana comprise six national parks distributed along the eastern part of the island.

These relict forests are critically important for maintaining ongoing ecological processes necessary for the survival of Madagascar's unique biodiversity, which reflects the island's geological history.

The South China Karst region extends over a surface of half a million square kilometers lying mainly in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi Provinces.

Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes comprises three sites that together make up 18,846 hectares, 10.3 percent of the surface area of Jeju Island, the southernmost territory of the Republic of Korea.

It includes: Geomunoreum, regarded as the finest lave tube system of caves anywhere, with its multi-colored carbonate roofs and floors, and dark-colored lava walls; the fortress-like Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone, rising out of the ocean, a dramatic landscape; and Mount Hallasan, the highest in Korea, with its waterfalls, multi-shaped rock formations, and lake-filled crater.

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Christchurch for its 31st session, will continue examining 36 properties proposed for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List on Thursday.