World Heritage - The Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea - a shared world heritage.

The Danish part of the Wadden Sea established as Wadden Sea World Heritage Site in 2014. The German and Dutch part have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2009. The Danish part was awaiting the establishment of the National Park, so we were not included in the World Heritage site until 2014. The three countries share the World Heritage Site through the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation. The countries cooperate, among other things, on nature monitoring and protection, and have done so since 1982.

The Wadden Sea is very well protected

Nowhere else in the world is there such a diverse and dynamic landscape with numerous habitats that are continuously moulded by wind and tides. Biodiversity around the world depends on the Wadden Sea.

UNESCO's designation of the Wadden Sea as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a global recognition of the work that has been done for decades to protect the area, and it means more benefits and opportunities for the region.

The designation does not bring any new regulations to the area. UNESCO only designates areas that are already well protected, and the Wadden Sea is already a nature and game reserve area and has a very high level of protection. The Wadden Sea is designated as a N2000 area, RAMSAR area and Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA).

The three countries have signed a Wadden Sea Plan and a Joint Declaration, which sets out guidelines for the management of the Wadden Sea. In Denmark, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Nature Agency, together with the municipalities, are the authorities and thus responsible for the protection and conservation of the Wadden Sea.