Wadden Sea Day 2026 – Present and future role of protected areas

The Wadden Sea Day 2026 reflects on over a century of conservation efforts, drawing out key successes and lessons learned to inform a clear and strategic vision for the future of effective and resilient Wadden Sea conservation.

Around 1900, the first Wadden Sea conservation initiatives emerged as part of a social movement countering the exploitation of nature, the beginnings of tourism and, later, industrialisation and urbanisation. This coincided with a growing scientific interest in natural history. The environmental movement of the 1970s led, for instance, to the designation of large-scale Wadden Sea National Parks in Germany and other protection regimes along the Wadden Sea coast in the mid-1980s and to the establishment of the pan European ‘Natura 2000’ network of protected areas. Today, the trilateral Wadden Sea is protected by a multitude of conservation regulations and protected areas. This protection status was crucial in the Wadden Sea’s designation as a transboundary World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2009/2014.

Over the years, those involved in nature conservation have gained outstanding experience. The cross-border exchange of these diverse experiences and the sharing of insights are just as essential as a shared vision of the future, to grasp the challenges ahead and develop constructive plans and measures for the successful future of Wadden Sea conservation.

The Wadden Sea Day 2026 aims to collectively reflect on the long journey that Wadden Sea conservation has undertaken, whilst simultaneously exploring opportunities and challenges ahead.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the designation of the ‘Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park’, a social gathering will take place following the official event in which we want to say farewell to a long-standing colleague in trilateral work.

We warmly welcome practitioners, scientists, policy-makers, nature conservation managers and non-governmental organisations active in this field. The event is open to the professional public and free of charge. Registration is open until 20.08.2026.