1. Policy & Management

Memorandum of Understanding Korea – Wadden Sea

An important milestone of international cooperation is the “Memorandum of Understanding” which was signed between the Korean Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation at the symposium. It provides a foundation for a cooperation of tidal flat experts of these states. Korea has a tidal flat area with similar functions as the Wadden Sea and the cooperation has the aim to exchange knowledge and experiences between the two regions

Read more:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/trilat/international/international.html

World Heritage Nomination – Waiting for the decision

The requested supplementary information has been delivered to the IUCN in February. For the time being we have done everything that has been requested. We are now waiting for the meeting of the World Heritage Committee which will convene in Sevilla in Spain at the end of June. The 27th June might be the date on which the Committee will take the decision on the nominated properties including the Dutch-German Wadden Sea, based on the evaluation report of the IUCN. We are confident that it will end with a positive decision and we base our confidence on the circumstance that we have apparently delivered all the requested information during the evaluation period satisfactorily, but we have to be prepared should the Wadden Sea be declared a World Heritage Site.

This will be a big moment for the region and will open up many new opportunities. There is no time to waste. The secretariat therefore invited regional stakeholders representing regional and local authorities, tourism and information and education centers to a workshop in Bremen on 27 February 2009 to develop a common communication strategy once the Wadden Sea would be World Heritage Site. The workshop resulted in several agreements in particular the establishment of a common website at the secretariat as a central entrance portal to the site and as link to websites of all partners, and the development of joint key messages to convey the outstanding values.
The communication strategy is now under development with assistance of a professional communication office. The central website will be developed by and hosted at Interwad.

Read more:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/management/whs/whs.html

Cooperation with West-Africa

From 16th to 20th February 2009, the 4th Forum of the Regional Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme for West Africa was held in Bissau. Some 150 participants from mainly Mauretania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cap Verde joined the Forum meeting, which mainly focused on

• governance and integrated management processes
• fisheries development and management
• coastal management structures and cooperation
• establishment of MPA's and conservation of biodiversity
• climate change and future challenges
• funding initiatives

The Common Wadden Sea Secretariat was invited to give a presentation about the cooperation within the Wadden Sea ecosystem. The forum meeting was very interested in the organization, structure and cooperation of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation and the Wadden Sea Forum and expressed the wish for further information and knowledge exchange.

Report from the Regional Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme for West Africa Conference Guinea-Bissau 16 – 20 February 2009

2. Research & Monitoring

Wadden Sea conservation across borders – how to get it fit for the future

At the end of the 12th International Scientific Wadden Sea Symposium in Wilhelmshaven, the over 270 participants underlined the importance of closer cooperation on the protection of the Wadden Sea.

“The symposium has shown that we have to enhance cross-border cooperation considerably to protect the Wadden Sea’s natural structure and functioning” says Jens Enemark, secretary general of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat in Wilhelmshaven.

The symposium resulted in clear recommendations for the decision makers in policy. The recommendations are to be taken into consideration in the preparation of the next Trilateral Governmental Conference on Sylt in March 2010.

Read more:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/news/symposia/ISWSS-2009.html

Symposium Blog:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/news/symposia/symp-blog.html

New TMAP parameter ‘Breeding success’

Already this year, the new parameter ‘Breeding Success’ is currently being implemented on the trilateral level in the framework of the TMAP.

The aim is to monitor hatching and breeding success of 10 important Wadden Sea and Annex 1 (EC Birds Directive) bird species on around 90 sample sites in the trilateral Wadden Sea. Results of the program will allow for an improved assessment of the trilateral Targets of the Wadden Sea Plan and the favorable conservation status according to the Birds Directive.

The program started in spring 2009 with the collection of information of specific national programs for further harmonization, development of technical guidelines and some prototype activities until full implementation efforts in 2010. The program has been developed by the Joint Monitoring Group for Breeding Birds (JMBB) on the basis of a trilateral pilot project (1996-1997) and with experiences made in national programs.

The implementation of ‘Breeding Success’ is coordinated by the Joint Monitoring Group for Breeding Birds (JMBB) and the CWSS.

3. Information & Education

International Wadden Sea School received sustainability award

After the IWSS’ recognition as „Official German Project of the UN Decade Education for Sustainable Development“ and „Educational Partner for Sustainability“ in 2008, the IWSS has recently been awarded the „Förderpreis Nachhaltigkeit in Schleswig Holstein“. Professor Wilfried Janssen acknowledged the IWSS’ educational efforts in a laudation. More info: http://www.iwss.org

Third Wadden Sea National Park Summer Camp

For the third time, the IWSS arranges in cooperation with the National Park administration and the local nature NGO Schutzstation Wattenmeer a National Park summer camp. The camp takes place from 3rd to 7th Aug. 2009 on the Hallig Langeness and offers hands-on experience of nature and wilderness for 25 children from the National Park region of Schleswig-Holstein in their „own“ Wadden Sea - a valuable basis for the identification with the National Park idea and protection of the Wadden Sea as an entity. More info: http://www.iwss.org

The IWSS is a trilateral information and environmental education program of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation. Further information at: http://www.iwss.org

4. New Publications

Park Sung-bae, Back Yong-hea, Lim Hyun-sig, Cun Seung-see, Zu Yung-kee
The Guide-book for Korea’s Tidal Flats

On the occasion of the 10th Ramsar Conference, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) has published ths 286-page booklet in which the Korean “Getbol” (tidal flats) along the west and south coast of Korea are introduced. The six main areas are introduced with a description of the sedimentary environment, cultural aspects and biology and an overview of diversity and richness of these habitats.
A limited number of copies are available at the secretariat
(info@waddensea-secretariat.org).

Ramsar Sites of the World
Exemplary sites demonstrating delivery of the Ramsar goals across the World

This 97-page brochure has been prepared by the Korean Ministry of Environment in April 2009 and contains case studies of Ramsara sites to facilitate international wetland conservation from around the world including the Wadden Sea Ramsar sites.
A limited number of copies is available at the secretariat (info@waddensea-secretariat.org).

5. Trilateral Meetings

TMAP Salt Marsh Workshop
26 – 27 May 2009, Langeoog, Germany

CPSL
27 – 28 May 2009, Bremen, Germany

SO 31
22 June, Bremen, Germany

TMAG 09/2
16 September 2009, Hamburg Germany

A complete overview is at:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/trilat/meetings/meetings.html

Meetings of the Wadden Sea Forum (WSF) are at:
http://www.waddensea-forum.org/calendar.html

6. Symposia & Workshops

Upcoming events:

Only new events are listed. A complete list of upcoming events is at:
http://www.waddensea-secretariat.org/news/events/otherconf.html

27 August, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Fourth Wadden Sea Day Conference
Nationalparkzentrum "Das Wattenmeerhaus"

24–27 August 2009, in Portland, Oregon, USA
Sixth International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions
Conveners: Judith Pederson (US), Gil Rilov (US), and Mark Sytsma, (US).

2 – 6 November 2009 (new dates), Stralsund, Germany
Progress in Marine Conservation in Europe 2009
2nd International Conference, hosted by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)
www.habitatmare.de

12 - 14 November 2009, Potsdam Germany
Digital Earth Summit on Geoinformatics: Tools for Global Change Research
http://www.isde-summit-2008.org/front_content.php