Waddenzee, Friesland, Netherlands
The Waddenzee is an inter-tidal zone in the south east area of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of north west continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with extensive tidal flats and wetlands.
The Waddenzee stretches from Den Helder in the north west of the Netherlands, past the great river estuaries of Germany to its northern boundary at Skallingen in Denmark along a total coastline of around 310 miles and a total area of around 3900 square miles. Within the Netherlands it is separted from the IJsselmeer by the Afsluitdijk.
Historically, these coastal regions were often subjected to large floods caused by storm tides, resulting in thousands of deaths including the Saint Marcellus' flood of 1219, Burchardi flood of 1634 and Christmas Flood of 1717. Some of these also significantly changed the coastline. Numerous dikes and causeways have been built and as a result recent floods have resulted in few or no fatalities (even if some dikes rarely and locally have been overrun in recent history). This makes the Waddenzee among the most human-altered habitats on the planet.
The Waddenzee has a high biological diversity and is an important area for substantial numbers of breeding, migrating and wintering birds. The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany all have designated Ramsar sites in the region and although the Waddenzee is not yet designated as a trans-boundary Ramsar site, a great part of the Waddenzee is protected by the co-operation of all 3 countries. The governments of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have been working together since 1978 on the protection and conservation of the Waddenzee. Co-operation covers management, monitoring and research, as well as political matters. Furthermore, in 1982, a Joint Declaration on the Protection of the Waddenzee was agreed upon to co-ordinate activities and measures for the protection of the Waddenzee and in 1997 a Trilateral Wadden Sea Plan was adopted. In 1986, the Waddenzee was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. In June 2009, the Waddenzee was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and the Danish part was added to the site in 2014.
Date: 9th December 2019
Location: view from Holwerd, Friesland, Netherlands
The Waddenzee stretches from Den Helder in the north west of the Netherlands, past the great river estuaries of Germany to its northern boundary at Skallingen in Denmark along a total coastline of around 310 miles and a total area of around 3900 square miles. Within the Netherlands it is separted from the IJsselmeer by the Afsluitdijk.
Historically, these coastal regions were often subjected to large floods caused by storm tides, resulting in thousands of deaths including the Saint Marcellus' flood of 1219, Burchardi flood of 1634 and Christmas Flood of 1717. Some of these also significantly changed the coastline. Numerous dikes and causeways have been built and as a result recent floods have resulted in few or no fatalities (even if some dikes rarely and locally have been overrun in recent history). This makes the Waddenzee among the most human-altered habitats on the planet.
The Waddenzee has a high biological diversity and is an important area for substantial numbers of breeding, migrating and wintering birds. The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany all have designated Ramsar sites in the region and although the Waddenzee is not yet designated as a trans-boundary Ramsar site, a great part of the Waddenzee is protected by the co-operation of all 3 countries. The governments of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have been working together since 1978 on the protection and conservation of the Waddenzee. Co-operation covers management, monitoring and research, as well as political matters. Furthermore, in 1982, a Joint Declaration on the Protection of the Waddenzee was agreed upon to co-ordinate activities and measures for the protection of the Waddenzee and in 1997 a Trilateral Wadden Sea Plan was adopted. In 1986, the Waddenzee was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. In June 2009, the Waddenzee was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and the Danish part was added to the site in 2014.
Date: 9th December 2019
Location: view from Holwerd, Friesland, Netherlands
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Also in: Netherlands - December 2019
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