Weltnaturerbe Wattenmeer

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Wadden Sea (“Wattenmeer”) is Germany’s only nature reserve with global significance. However, although Germany and the rest of the world are committed to protecting the environment in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Renaturation Act, not only is the Wadden Sea under pressure, but also even its World Heritage status is at risk. In these geopolitically difficult times, RiffReporter (“ReefReporter”) wants to maintain maximum awareness for climate and biodiversity conservation issues – which are vital to local and global survival -  and discuss them using the Wadden Sea as an example. The project aims s to highlight the importance of the Wadden Sea at an ecological, economic and political level in order to make the complex interdependencies more visible at all of these levels. The intention is to spark public debates which will ultimately lead to better protection of the Wadden Sea.

Research is being conducted by a team of outstanding environmental journalists from the RiffReporter cooperative.

The project has got off to a successful start. Major reports on the topic have already appeared this summer, demonstrating the importance of this project and the high relevance of issues surrounding the Wadden Sea at present.
Since July 3, 2025, six research articles/reports have been published:

• “Like fighting fire with fuel”: German government pushes ahead with natural gas production off Borkum
• Ten unusual questions about the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site and its future
• Protect me! I am the underestimated architect of the Wadden Sea
• Crab fishing in conflict: talks on compromise with nature conservation in the Wadden Sea have failed
• From “barren shallow sea” to World Heritage Site: 40 years of the Wadden Sea National Park
• Cry all you want! Seal pups don't need rescuers, they need peace and quiet

For current information/newsletter, see: https://www.riffreporter.de/de/wattenmeer-pegel-unesco-weltnaturerbe-nationalpark-wind-offshore-gas-oel-vogelzug