PROTECTION
OF THE WADDEN SEA: The Trilateral Wadden Sea cooperation
Already in the beginning
of the 1970s environmental scientists stated that the ecosystem
of the Wadden Sea cannot be divided according to national borders.
The Wadden Sea is, from an ecological point of view, one system.
The politicians from the three Wadden Sea countries were called
upon to work together in the protection and conservation of the
area .
The first trilateral governmental conference on the protection
of the Wadden Sea was held in 1978 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The second Wadden Sea Conference took place two years later in
Bonn, Germany.
In 2010, the refreshed
Joint Declaration on the Protection of the Wadden Sea was signed.
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outdated.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 have
been launched and replaced the existing structures.
Other important trilateral events are the International Scientific
Wadden Sea Symposia which are held every three years. At the
Symposia, scientists from the three Wadden Sea countries exchange
relevant research findings and formulate recommendations to the
politicians. The Symposia also deal with management issues. The
findings of the scientific symposia have been and are important
for the development of trilateral policies.
Trilateral Governmental Wadden Sea
Conferences and their main results
