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Sylt,
Germany, 17 -
19 March
2010
The signing of the joint
Ministerial
Council Declaration by Parliamentary State Secretary Ursula Heinen-Esser of
the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Germany, chair of the
Conference; Karen Ellemann, Minister of Environment, Denmark and Gerda
Verburg, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the
Netherlands concluded a very successful and productive Wadden Sea
Conference on the Wadden island of Sylt on 18 March 2010. The Conference
was the 11th Trilateral Governmental Conference in the framework of the
Dutch-German-Danish cooperation on the protection of the Wadden Sea, the
world’s largest tidal barrier island system, since the first Conference
in The Hague in 1978.
Signing of the Ministerial Council Declaration on 18
March 2010: Minister Gerda Verburg, State Secretary Ursula Heinen-Esser and
Minister Karen Ellemann
(from left to
right, Photo: Kristine Jung)
In June 2009, the Dutch-German Wadden Sea was inscribed on the World
Heritage List. The nomination has been a tremendous success and been
embraced by the region. Denmark was not able to nominate its parts
because of the ongoing process of establishing a national part for its
Wadden Sea. The ministers agreed to start in the forthcoming period a
possible nomination of the Danish Wadden Sea and the nomination of the
Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park for inclusion on the World Heritage
List.
The ministers also supported the further extension of the communication
and the marketing around the Wadden Sea World Heritage. Within the next
year a tourism marketing strategy will be developed together with the
tourism industry to further sustainable tourism and marketing of the
World Heritage Site.
A revised Wadden Sea
Plan was also adopted. The 2010 Wadden Sea Plan updates the
trilateral policies and management since the first Wadden Sea Plan was
adopted at the 8th Conference in Stade in 1997. The Wadden Sea Plan
constitutes the common framework for the protection and sustainable
management of the Wadden Sea as an ecological entity. It is also the
common management plan for the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
In addition to agreements to enhance the international cooperation to
protect the migratory birds, for which the Wadden Sea is a key site,
climate, sea level rise, coastal protection and alien species were high
up on the minister’s agenda. Climate change and its consequences such as
enhanced sea level rise, increased temperatures, and increasing sediment
deficits will have impacts on the ecology and landscape of the Wadden
Sea and may affect the safety of the inhabitants. It was agreed that
there is a further need to strengthen the natural processes of the
Wadden Sea in order to cope with such changes and to further cooperate
in developing common strategies and enhancing the knowledge. For
invasive species, which is an issue of concern for all parts of the
Wadden Sea, a common approach will also be developed in the coming
period.
Shipping safety was again on the agenda. It remains an issue which is of
great concern for the region since an accident can have potentially
enormous impact, ecologically and economically. It is of the highest
priority that safety is kept on a high level and that everything is done
to prevent accidents. The ministers agreed to a number of actions in
this field including to continue to raise the awareness of the
significance of the Wadden Sea amongst the maritime sector.
A highlight of the Conference was the signing of the 2010
Joint
Declaration on the Protection of the Wadden Sea in a formal signing
ceremony at the Kurhaus in Westerland. The 2010 Joint Declaration
replaces the Joint Declaration, signed at the 1982 Wadden Sea Conference
in Copenhagen, which had become progressively outdated. It will not
alter the spirit or legal status of the Cooperation. This will remain a
formal (but not legally binding) Cooperation between the governments of
the three countries. In conjunction with the signing of the 2010 Joint
Declaration new governance structures will be launched and replace the
existing structures. The Trilateral Wadden Sea Board is the governing
body of the Cooperation. Peter Ilsøe, Denmark, was appointed by the
ministers as the first chairman of the Board.
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Signing of the 2010 Joint Declaration on the
Protection of the Wadden Sea on 17 March 2010: Minister Gerda Verburg,
State Secretary Ursula Heinen-Esser and Deputy Director General Helle
Pilsgaard
(from left to
right, Photo: Harald Marencic)
The Sylt Conference introduced a new element into the Wadden Sea
Conference. During the open session of the Conference an interactive
discussion with the ministers, stakeholders and guests on “A Vision for
the Wadden Sea - Steps to Achievement” was held. The overall objective
for this session was to encourage all participants that they have a part
to play in achieving the vision for the Wadden Sea. The session was
moderated by Dr. Andy Brown who had earlier evaluated the Cooperation
and had gained a considerable knowledge of the Cooperation. This session
was much appreciated by the participants because it was felt that this
was a central function of the Conferences: To obtain the good ideas and
commitment of key stakeholders for the protection of the Wadden Sea, and
a fruitful continuation of the Wadden Sea Cooperation.
.JPG)
Discussion with
stakeholders on a vision for the Wadden Sea with Dr. Andy Brown (Photo:
Kristine Jung).
The Sylt Conference was a milestone in the Wadden Sea Cooperation. One
of the most productive periods of the cooperation was concluded with a
new foundation for the Cooperation and new and pioneering future
objectives.
The chair of the Cooperation has now been transferred to Denmark for the
next three-year period until 2013.
