(Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park)

IUCN Management Category V (Protected Landscape)

Biogeographical Province 2.09.05 (Atlantic)

Geographical Location The German section of the Wadden Sea coast is administratively divided between the länders of Schleswig Holstein (extending from the Danish border in the north to the estuary of the river Elbe) and Niedersächsen (extending westwards from the river Elbe to the Dutch border). The national park is entirely within the länder of Niedersächsen and includes the islands of Borkum, Memmert, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langegen, Spiekeroog, Alte Mellum, and Wangerooge but specifically excluding those of Scharhörn and Neuwerk. It includes the tidal mudflats of the Weser, Jade and the Ems estuaries. 53°21'-53°58'N, 06°34'-08°41'E

Date and History of Establishment Niedersächsisches National Park was created on 13 December 1985 under the responsibility of Bezirksregierung Weser-Ems Nationalparkverwaltung "Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer". Three Ramsar sites were designated in November 1974 and ratified after February 1976. These are partially or totally within the national park boundaries: Wattenmeer, Elbe-Weser-Dreiecki: 38,460ha (includes the Knechtsand-Eversand Nature Conservation Area, 30,200ha); Wattenmeer: Jadebusen and Western Weser mouth: 49,490ha (includes three Nature Conservation Areas: Jadebusen (16,600ha), Mellum (3,500ha) and Süderkleihörne (15.8ha) and a Game Protection Area (GPA): Jadebusen (2,000ha). The Jadebusen GPA has since then been extended and there is also a new Landscape Protection Area for breeding birds); Ostfriesisches Wattenmeer and Dollart: 121,620ha (contains 12 Nature Conservation Areas comprising 10% of the site). The national park also contains three former Important Bird Areas (as defined under the EEC Birds Directive): Ostfriesisches Wattenmeer, Jadebusen und Westliche Wesermundung and Elbe-Weser-Dreieck.

Area 240,000ha. The national park is part of the international Wadden Sea which covers 8,000 sq.km.

Land Tenure No information

Altitude From sea-level to 21m (the highest point being on Langeoog Island)

Physical Features The international Wadden Sea is best recognised as a single ecological unit with shared indivisable physical and natural attributes between the Dutch, German and Danish sectors. The area consists of a barrier-chain protected sedimentary coast of 450km length. The total area of tidal mudflats, sandbars, saltmarshes and tidal channels including the barrier islands occupies about 10,000 square kilometres and is the largest sedimentary coastal area in Europe. The Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer consists of over 130km of low-lying coastline protected from the open sea by a belt of barrier islands, sandbars and tidal flats. The national park ocupying this coastline similarly consists of salt meadows, beaches, islands, dunes and mudflats. Since there is often little water movement in the enclosed bays and creeks, much silt is deposited thus reducing the area of open water and increasing the amount of sand and mudflats (IUCN, 1987). Deep tidal channels between the islands and sandbars permit seawater to flow upstream along the rivers Weser, Jade and Ems well beyond the park boundary.

There are 9 main islands (Ostfriesische Inseln) along the coast, the largest of which Borkum is 20km long and 10km wide. This island chain once represented the North Sea coastline but has since been separated from the mainland by coastal erosion and the rise of the sea-level, as with the great floods between the 14th and 17th centuries which created the Jadebusen wetland by Wilhemshaven (Zwiep, 1987).

Climate Conditions are Atlantic with a mean annual temperature of 9.1°C and mean annual precipitation of 720mm at sea level.

Vegetation The international Wadden Sea is the most extensive un-interrupted area with saltmarshes, tidal flats and sand dunes in Europe (Dijkema, 1984). Large sites with transition to other natural habitats are only more or less left in the Wadden Sea area, with (in 1983 and within the Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer NP) an estimated 65% of those on the islands unspoilt but only some 25% in the whole of the Niedersachsisches region under some sort of protection. The salt marshes are covered with halophilous vegetation with some 30 species of phanerogams. Transitional areas between marshes and dunes support a further 100 species. The tidal flats support only two species of seagrasses but dozens of species of macro-algae and hundreds of micro-algae. Very little vegetation grows in the tidal channels. The islands characteristically have at least three zones: dune complexes (near where sand is rapidly accreting by sea walls) with sand couch Agropyron junceiforme and lyme grass Elymus arenarius; the central areas of the islands tend to have seablite Suaeda spp.; whilst the salt meadows, considered floristically older than the mainland meadows, together with the saltmarshes and wet grasslands are composed of sandwort Minuartia spp. and saltwort Salsola kali, with an increasing area of cord grass Spartina townsendii in localised areas (IUCN, 1987).

Fauna The Wadden Sea is of great importance for breeding birds as well as for migratory species especially waterbirds. Seals are the most important mammals in the area which is also a major nursery and spawning ground for many North Sea fish species. Breeding species include cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (175 pairs), avocet Recurvirostra avosetta (1,260 pairs), sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis (350 pairs), common tern S. hirundo (2,600 pairs), arctic tern S. paradisaea (550 pairs), and little tern S. albifrons (115 pairs). As a migration area and feeding site, the national park is important for the following waterfowl species: (average maximum figures) bean goose Anser brachyrhynchus (2,000), greylag goose A.anser (1,000), barnacle goose Branta leucopsis (2,000), brent goose B. bernicla (9,000), shelduck Tadorna tadorna (85,000), wigeon Anas penelope (6,000), pintail A. acuta (5,000), eider Somateria mollissima (20,000) and for the following wader species: oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus (42,000), avocet Recurvirostra avosetta (10,000), ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula (2,500), kentish plover C. alexendrinus (500), grey plover Pluvialis squatarola (17,000), knot Calidris canutus (85,000), sanderling C. alba (2,000), dunlin C.alpina (120,000), black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa (1,000), bar-tailed godwit L. lapponica (15,000), curlew Numenius arquata (26,000), redshank Tringa totanus (7,000) and turnstone Arenaria interpres (800) (Grimmett and Jones, 1989). Seal hunting was banned in the Wadden Sea as a whole in 1962 (WWF, 1989) and in the Niedersächsen region in 1971. There has been a sharp decline since then to a low in 1974, thought to be due to pollution levels. Commmon seal Phoca vitulina populations interchange between the Dutch, German and Danish sections of the Wadden Sea with the Niedersächsen seal population showing a 15-20% juvenile movement westwards and an equivalent move north-eastwards. The common seal has shown a decrease from c. 2,200 in 1960 to a low of 1,000 in 1974, rising to 1,200 in 1978 in the Niedersachsen area (Reijnders, 1980-81).

It has been estimated that the Wadden Sea is the breeding ground for 4,000 of the North Sea's 7,000 species. Nine million birds breed, feed, moult or rest in the area (Clough, 1987)

Cultural Heritage A major fishery and mussel-fishing area. The area was the background to Erskine Childers' classic thriller The Riddle of the Sands.

Local Human Population Man has used the fertile borderlands along the edge of the Wadden Sea for thousands of years and has constructed mounds (Halligen) on which houses were built. Later dykes were constructed as protection against flooding; some remnants of the ancient sea defences still exist (Zwiep, 1987). There are ten enclaves within the national park which correspond to the towns of the barrier islands.

Visitors and Visitor Facilities The national park is zoned into three management types; one is the recreation zone which is represented by some 30 individual sections of coastline and beach (particularly on the seaward side of the barrier islands). Since 1977/78 there has been a 70% increase in the number of holidays spent in the Wadden Sea area and survey in Germany showed that for Germans the Wadden Sea is the most frequently chosen mainland holiday destination. At least one million people stay for a period on the Wadden Sea islands, whilst in 1980 it was estimated that 25,000 pleasure craft with 75,000 to 100,000 yachtsmen, about 260,000 to 300,000 anglers and some 12,000 people crossing the mudflats on foot visited the Wadden Sea area directly. A survey of hunting intensity showed that the most over-shot area was the Niedersächsisches region (Mörzer Bruyne and Wolff, 1983).

Scientific Research and Facilities The Wadden Sea has been the site of scientific research for at least 100 years with, in 1985, about 50 scientists conducting research. It is expected that such research effort will be maintained in the future. The adjacent Dutch section of the Wadden Sea has two research laboratories, three field stations and a number of shelters with accommodation for 40 scientists. The German authorities have announced that a sea research station is planned located on the Wattenmeer coast, probably outside the national park in neighbouring Schleswig-Holstein. Currently the government and the EEC are funding research in the area focussing on seal mortalities (Anon, 1988b). The effects of harvesting of lugworms Arenicola marina has been investigated by Van den Heiligenberg (1987).

Conservation Value No information

Conservation Management The national park is divided into three management zones: protected zone, also called strict reserve (c. 130,000ha); partially protected zone, also called intermediate zone (c. 108,000ha); recreation zone, also called recreational zone (c. 2,000ha). Within each zone specific use restriction apply. In zone 1 all activities likely to destroy, damage or alter the national park are prohibited. The following activities are, however, authorized: (a) farming in areas protected by the summer dyke; (b) hunting outside the hunting areas; (c) fishing and harvesting crustaceans on a commercial basis.. In zone 2, all activities which are likely to alter the character of the mudflats are prohibited, specifically: (a) disturbance of wildlife by noise or any other way; (b) destroying the vegetation; (c) introduction of non-native animal species; (d) camping and driving vehicles outside designated sites, away from roads and trails. In zone 3, recreational activities are restricted to bathing and convalescence.

The Wadden Sea Conservation Programme, a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) project (No. 1411) has operated in the area with a 1986 budget of 254,000SFR, an extension in 1987 of 170,000 SFR and 100,000SFR in 1988.

The Federal Republic of Germany recently announced a ten point programme to clean up the North Sea and pledged to end the dumping of chemical wastes in the sea by 1989 (Anon, 1988c). The Wadden Sea is a vital stop over for waterfowl on the Western Palearctic migration route. Together with its rich breeding populations of birds and seals this makes the Wadden Sea the single most important wetland in Western Europe (IUCN, 1987).

Management Constraints The threats to the German sections of the Wadden Sea have been identified and in the case of the Niedersächsisches National Park have been classed into three major groups: loss of habitats; depletion of species; and degradation of quality of the natural environment (Zwiep, 1987).

The Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR) has calculated that unless the conflict between the ecological value and economic exploitation of the Wadden Sea is resolved over 4,000 species of animals and plants living along the North Sea will be threatened by a combination of proposed dyke construction, mass tourism, water and air pollution, agricultural intensification and industrialization (COE, 1983), as well as hunting and fishing, plane and boat traffic, recreational activities and port activities (Grimmett and Jones, 1989).

The Wadden Sea as a whole is threatened by five activities (threats which cannot be isolated into separate sections of the region): threats due to construct of dykes, threats due to port and industrial construction, threats from pollution, threats from mass tourism and recreational overuse, and threats due to drainage and over-grazing of saltmarshes.

Construction of dykes The German section of the Wadden Sea has a sea dyke line of approximately 200 kilometres divided into four compartments. The sea dykes rise 7-9m above the mean tide level and destroy the natural vegetation within a 10-15m zone on the seaward side and 130m on the landward side. It has been estimated that some 20,000ha is likely to be embanked. The consequences of embankment on the flora and fauna are as follows: over 400 species directly rely on saltwater flora; the loss of one saltwater plant species results on average in the loss of 8-16 animal species; the subsequent delivery of organic material from the sea is discontinued and bioproduction is reduced; invertebrate biomass drastically changes; in the first 5-7 years there is a fall of 50-70% in the number of species in the foreland amd a complete loss in the eulittoral water zones; there is a reduction of 10-20% in species numbers in the saltwater basins behind the dykes; for every hectare of saltmarsh embanked the resting capacity of the mudflats is reduced by 100-150 birds/ha.

Construction of ports and industrial sites The most controversial industrial project concerns the cross-border area of the Dollart (just to the south of the NP) where there are plans to divert the River Ems, which forms the western boundary of the national park. Such a diversion (according to the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium) could lead to changes in the saltwater-freshwater ratios. All the major German ports are located on or use the Wadden Sea. There is a tendency to specialize in port usage, for example, Wilhelmshaven is a mineral -oil port, Emden a metal port. Proposed port construction includes: Wilhelmshaven - construction of further ship-loading jetty for a chemical enterprise and a terminal for fluid carriers (Algerian Gas), as well as a deepening of the Jade water channel; Bremerhaven - plans for deepening the water channel from 12-14 SKn (Seekartennull=springniedrigwasser); Hamburg - in 1962 Hamburg bought from Niedersächsisches Länder a 900ha mudflat area (Neuwerk-Scharhörn) in the outer Elbe. This is the enclave excluded fromt the national park. The plan is to build a deep water port with a capacity of 20 SKn, whilst the Elbe is at present 13.5 SKn. The port will cover some 2,400ha. The first building phase for the Scharhörn port will create a 1000m long, 2.8m deep area with a docking facility of 200ha and a storm free zone of 1,200ha. The port will be only 17km for the port of Cuxhaven (on the edge of the national park) which will be connected to Hamburg by a new four lane autobahn and two lane railway line. A further 6,500ha around Cuxhaven is earmarked for industrial development; Emden - A 17,000 million DM plan, to construct a port on the edge of the national park by the city of Emden. It has been estimated that 30 to 50 per cent of the natural values of the wetland will be lost and 12 per cent of the Ems estuary tidal area (Zwiep, 1987).

Pollution Pollution, mainly originating from the Ems, Weser and Elbe rivers, comes in the form of waste water, heavy metals, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls. Contamination by such pollutants threatens to kill birds and reduce the reproductive rate of seals. Considerable amounts of toxic chemicals have been found in seals, most dramatically witnessed by the death of more than 14,000 commmon seals in the North and Baltic Seas since April 1988 (Anon, 1988a., WWF, 1989). It is thought that acid rain is causing the acidification of the mudflats. Oil drilling and piping of products from the North Sea are causes for concern. In 1984 some 90 million tons of oil was transported through the Wadden Sea on route to ports. In the area of the German coast annually between 50,000 and 250,000 oiled birds are washed up (in 1958 half a million tons of oil was spilt at Scharhörn). It has been estimated that there will be a mixture of sulphates (275,00 to 700,000 tons/year) and chlorides (5.5million tons/year) passing into the Wadden Sea. Detergents which decrease surface tension are also present in the Weser and the Ems estuaries at concentrations of 0.3mg/litre a concentration which is thought toxic to various organisms.

Mass tourism This is a major cause of direct disturbance to the area. The seal population is at most risk from disturbed by recreational use of breeding sandbanks and from boats (Reijnders, 1980-81). Pup mortality is about 60%. Motor boats and sailing craft are putting pressure on even the 'core' zones of the national park (European Federation Bulletin, 1988) and a good deal of rubbish apparently originating in Britain ends up on the Wattenmeer coastline (Tomforde, 1987). Mid-1980s figures have been provided above under Visitors.

Drainage and over-grazing Land reclamation and closing off the sea inlets is still undertaken along the German coastline (Zwiep, 1987). The drained saltmarshes are exploited by intensive cattle grazing. The stocking density is 2-3 animals/ha. with stocking densities twice this level on the foreland and estuarine saltmarshes in Niedersächsisches and on the larger halligens. This can be seen on the island of Langeoog where the species rich saltmarshes have been converted to cultivated land supporting only 8-15 plant species.

The continuing existence of agriculture, commercial fisheries and hunting within the 'core' zone of the park is a negative feature.

Two of the three Important Bird Areas within the national park were listed by the EEC as under serious threat in 1984. The Ostfriesisches Wattenmeer was threatened by the construction of extensive dykes, hovercraft facilities and marinas; tourist pressure based at a former oil drilling station; heavy wildfowling pressure and inadequate levels of protection for key sites. The Jadebusen and Westliche Wesermundung was threatened with extensive dyke construction, irrigation schemes, oil and chemical pollution as well as heavy recreation and wildfowling pressure with inadequate protection of key sites (Gammell and Karpowicz, 1984).

A major problem is seen to be the different administrative and legal status of the wetlands leading to varying levels of effectiveness of nature conservation control and management, even though the so-called Joint Declaration on the protection of the Wadden Sea was signed by Holland, Denmark and West Germany in 1982 (Zwiep, 1987). Analysis of the national protection measures even re-inforces the conclusion that damaging activities are partly inherent in the national park regulations, indicating "legalized destruction of nature" (Zwiep, 1987).

Other Uses The future of the area as habitat for birds depends on maintaining the productivity of the area as a food source. Van den Heilgenberg, (1987) considered the present level of harvesting lugworm as not enough to be detrimental to the food levels available to bird populations. More concern was raised over the disturbance to feeding birds that the presence of people digging for lugworm causes, some areas are now permanently unsuitable for feeding birds despite supporting an available food source.

Staff Wardens and other government officials are responsible for controlling human activities such as fisheries, recreation and sand extraction.

Budget The national park administration is financed by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry of Niedersachsen. WWF Expenditure on Waddensea Conservation Programme (Project 1411) from 1986-88 was 524,000SFR.

Local Addresses

Staatsbosbeheer, Engelsekamp 6, 9722 AX Groningen

An agreement exists between the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark establishing a Wadden Sea Secretariat. This Secretariat is responsible for preparing future international conferences, identifying developments which may have an adverse effect on the environment of this region, as well as directing research projects and scientific symposia. The Nationalpark Verwaltung "Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer" is the national park administration which answers to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry of Niedersachsen.

References

Abrahamse, J. and Koppen, H. (1982). Wadden Van Boven. (In Dutch)

Anon. (1988a). Nomination for the World Heritage List of the "Wattenmeer" (mudflats of Lower Saxony)

Anon. (1988b). Seal deaths persuade countries to slow pollution. The Siren No. 38: 8-9.

Anon. (1988c). Water sport activity in the Waddensea National Park must be reduced. European Federation Bulletin 26(98): 37.

Bloem, D. and Steffen, L. (1977). Vogelschutz am Jadebusen. Orn. AG Oldenburg Jahresbericht 1977: 20-22.

Carp, E. (1980). A Directory of Western Palearctic Wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Clough, P. (1987). Germans seek help for an endangered sea. The Independent 24 Nov.

Council of Europe. (1983). Newsletter. 16 March.

Dijkema, K. S. (1984). Salt marshes in Europe. Nature and Environment Series No. 30. European Committee for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. COE. Strasbourg,

Duffey, E. (1982). National Parks and Reserves of Western Europe. Macdonald and Co., London.

Gammell, A. & Karpowicz, Z. (1984). Important Bird Areas in the European Community under Serious Threat The Situation in 1984. Final Report to DG XI.

Grimmett, R.F.A. and Jones, T.A. (1989). Important Bird Areas in Europe. Technical Publication No. 9. ICBP, Cambridge, UK.

Haarmann, K. (1978). Erster Bericht über den Zustand der Feuchtgebiete internationaler Bedeutung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Biol. Abh. Nr. 36, 28 pages.

Haarmann, K. and Pretscher, P. (1976). Die Feuchtgebiete internationaler Bedeutung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Vogelkdl. Bibliothek Band 4, Greven: Kilda-Verlag, 102 pages.

Haarmann, K. (1984). Feuchtgebiete internationaler Bedeutung und Europareservate in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Zweiter Zustandbericht (Stand: Januar 1983). Ottendorf: Niederelbe-Verlag, 12 pages. (Fordsand Buch No. 3.)

IUCN (1987). Directory of Wetlands of International Importance. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Mörzer Bruyne and Wolff (1983). Nature conservation, nature mangement and physical planning in the Wadden Sea area. Leiden.

Reijnders, P.J.H. (1980-81). Management and Conservation of the harbour seal Phoca vitulina population in the international Wadden Sea area. Biological Conservation 19: 213-221.

Scott, D.A. (1980). A preliminary inventory of wetlands of international importance for waterfowl in west Europe and northwest Africa. IWRB Special Publication No. 2.

Tomforde, A. (1987). Germans return British rubbish. The Guardian Nov 16. P.6.

Van den Heiligenberg, T. (1987). Effects of Mechanical and Manual Harvesting of lugworms Arenicola marina L. on the Benthic Fauna of Tidal Flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Biological Conservation 39: 165-177.

WWF (1989). Seal project head wins prize. WWF News No.57 Jan/Feb. P.6.

Zwiep, K van der, (1987). International Protection - Waddensea. Paper presented to Workshop C at Third Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, 27 May to 5 June 1987, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. INF. C.3.8.

Date April 1989

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