The Wadden Sea is not just a national park – it also holds World Heritage status. In fact, the UN organisation UNESCO designated the Wadden Sea as a World Heritage Site back in 2009, but initially this only applied to the German and Dutch sections. Five years later, in June 2014, the Danish Wadden Sea also became part of the overall designation, and it is an important point that we share this World Heritage Site with the Netherlands and Germany: three countries – one World Heritage Site.
The Wadden Sea contains the largest contiguous tidal flats anywhere on the planet. The area, which stretches approximately 500 kilometres from Blåvandshuk in Denmark to Den Helder in the Netherlands, is characterised by immense dynamism, where the tides and the wind constantly reshape the landscape. At the same time, the Wadden Sea is of vital importance to a wide range of animal and plant species, and its biological diversity is enormous. It is regarded as one of the most important ‘resting places’ for migratory birds on the East Atlantic flyway, on their journey between the Arctic, Europe and Africa. UNESCO characterises it as having outstanding universal value. The designation of the Wadden Sea as a World Heritage Site is also a recognition of the work that Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have done over four decades to protect the area.
The World Heritage Site comprises mainly sea and mudflats, whilst the national park also includes land areas such as Rømø and Tøndermarsken. As a rule of thumb, you are within the World Heritage Site once you are outside the dykes.
