The Wadden SEA

The UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site Wadden Sea along the Dutch-German-Danish coast is the largest uninterrupted tidal wetland in the world. Natural wetland processes continue to function largely undisturbed, exemplifying the universally outstanding value (OUV) of the Wadden Sea.

Problems

However, this value is challenged by not only the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, but also by infrastructure development, coastal protection and touristic measures and requirements. The long-term goal of maintaining and improving the current ecological status and functions as well as sediment dynamics in terms of the OUV of the Wadden Sea, places high demands on sustainable management strategies. These are sometimes easy to solve, but may sometimes require a complete rethink. However, sea level is rising and doing nothing and maintaining current infrastructural coastal management measures will lead to an increasing reduction of mudflats that emerge at low tide, accompanied by the destruction of associated ecosystems. Additionally, economic and touristic pressures risk an increasing pollution. Society´s lack of knowledge and understanding of geoscientific, ecological and socio-economic processes hinders the readiness and ability to rethink existing measurements. This needs to be addressed not only by inter-project, but also by stakeholder cooperation on a local, national and trilateral level.

Solutions:

• Trilateral
• UNESCO
• Ramsar
• WADcouple planned initiatives

While people pose the problems they also have to solutions to work towards them.