World Heritage Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is not only a national park - it also holds UNESCO World Heritage status. In fact, UNESCO designated the Wadden Sea as a World Heritage site back in 2009, but initially, this only applied to the German and Dutch parts. Five years later, in June 2014, the Danish Wadden Sea was included in 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.
The Wadden Sea encompasses the largest contiguous intertidal areas anywhere on the planet. The area, which stretches approximately 500 kilometres from Blåvandshuk in Denmark to Den Helder in the Netherlands, is marked by colossal dynamics, where the tides and winds constantly reshape the landscape. At the same time, the Wadden Sea is crucial for a wide range of animal and plant species, and its biodiversity is enormous. 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 more than four decades to protect the area.
The boundaries of the World Heritage Wadden Sea largely follow the boundaries of the Wadden Sea National Park, but there are also deviations. The World Heritage site mainly includes the sea and intertidal areas, while the national park also includes land areas such as Rømø and Tøndermarsken.
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