UNESCO: Wadden Sea now World Natural Heritage site
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has decided today to inscribe the German-Dutch Wadden Sea on the World Heritage List. "This is a big day for nature conservation in Germany," commented Federal Environment Minister Gabriel. "The Wadden Sea is now on par with the Grand Canyon in the US, the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia or the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This is a huge success, in particular for all those who have been working for this recognition on site for years. It also means an obligation for the German government to continue giving high priority to the protection of the Wadden Sea in future."
"The Wadden Sea is one of the largest wetlands worldwide and a wintering area for ten to twelve million migrating birds every year. It is also an extraordinarily dynamic nature area. Nowhere else on Earth has such a diverse and still changing area developed under the influence of the tides. The Wadden Sea is a habitat for around 10,000 species. The inscription of the Wadden Sea in the World Heritage List is also a recognition of the high level of protection that Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have jointly been ensuring for years," stressed Minister Gabriel.
Within the framework of the trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation, Germany and the Netherlands nominated the German-Dutch Wadden Sea for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The nominated site with a total area of almost 10,000 km2 comprises two Wadden Sea National Parks located in the German Länder Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony and a protected area in the Netherlands.