The production of biomass in the Wadden Sea is one of the highest in the world compared to other similar coastal areas, most significantly demonstrated by the numbers of fish, shellfish and birds supported by the area. Its ecosystems sustain wildlife populations well beyond its borders.
Salt marshes are hot spots of flora, fauna and biodiversity in the Wadden Sea. They host an incredible richness of insects and spiders, which are dependent on the specific salt marsh vegetation.
The Wadden Sea World Heritage Destination attracts 10 million people, about 50 million overnight stays and 30-40 million day-trippers every year.
The island of Neuwerk, which is part of the National Park Hamburg Wadden Sea, is the only inhabited area in the Wadden Sea World Heritage site, with only 25 people living there.
Since the end of the last ice age, the Wadden Sea has evolved over the last 8,000 years. Hence, it is a very young ecosystem in geomorphological and evolutionary terms.
Around 3.75 million people live on the mainland along the Wadden Sea. A further 75,000 people live on the islands.
In the last decades two new islands have been formed: the Kachelotplate (170 ha) near the Lower Saxon islands of Memmert and Juist, and a new island of about 14 ha at Norderoogsand in Schleswig-Holstein. The islands evolved from growing sandbanks that are no longer flooded during high tides enabling vegetation to grow. But losses have also occurred and sandbanks have disappeared illustrating the highly dynamic nature of natural processes.
With the inscription of sites on the World Heritage List, UNESCO aims to promote international collaboration between sites and countries. This philosophy has a long heritage in the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation.
TMAP is the joint monitoring programme of the Wadden Sea states. Launched in 1997, the programme spans a broad range of topics, such as morphology, ecological processes, wildlife and human activities.
The dynamics of the landscape cannot only be explored at Skallingen peninsula. The estuary of Varde Å, for example, is a fascinating, almost natural estuarine area and Varde Å is the only river where the water can flow unimpeded into the Wadden Sea, without a dike or sluice. At ‘Havsand’ on Rømø a new dune ridge is developing.