Experts discuss Wadden Sea protection in face of green energy developments
More than 120 representatives from science, nature conservation, and politics met in Wilhelmshaven for the 2024 Wadden Sea Day titled “Safeguarding the Wadden Sea: Navigating Green Energy Development in the North Sea.”
A World Heritage Site for 15 years, the Wadden Sea is renowned for its unique biodiversity and crucial role in global ecological processes. Safeguarding its outstanding universal value stands at the core of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. Located between mainland and North Sea, the Wadden Sea is becoming a transit zone between offshore green power plants and consumers on land. The Wadden Sea Day 2024, held on 29 August at the UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage Visitor Centre Wilhelmshaven, focussed on the prospects of developing the North Sea as Europe's green power plant and what this means for the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
“We need to use the best technologies and practices to protect the natural values of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site and to achieve the energy transition goals” says Sascha Klöpper, Executive Secretary of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat. “While energy transition is an important element in mitigating climate change – an existential threat to the Wadden Sea, the developments in its proximity will add to the pressures of human activities on the World Heritage Site. In their decisions of 2023 and 2024 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee raised concerns regarding the consequences of these external and internal developments on the property – concerns that we need to address jointly with our partners.”
This year’s Wadden Sea Day is one step towards a better joint management and addressed questions such as what is needed to develop the North Sea as Europe’s green power plant, what are the potential impacts on the Wadden Sea, how can these challenges be managed, how can impacts be minimised, how can good spatial and technical solutions be found and how can common approaches be adopted.
The Wadden Sea Day has been jointly organised by the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat and the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority since 2006.
Further statements
Anne-Marie Vaegter Rasmussen, Chairperson of the Wadden Sea Board: “The Wadden Sea is one of the most valuable nature areas in the world. We must safeguard and protect it. At the same time there is a need for a green energy transition in the North Sea. The focus of this Wadden Sea Day is the complex question on how to balance those two major concerns that will accompany our work for the years ahead.”
Peter Südbeck, Director of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority: “To ensure the protection of the Wadden Sea, we need to minimise negative environmental impacts, for example through the smart placement of cables and the continuous exploration of technical innovation. We have to maintain our environmental standards and should develop best environmental practice as we accelerate the expansion of the energy infrastructure for renewables.”
Tobias Grindsted, keynote speaker, Danish Energy Agency: “Fast large-scale deployment of offshore renewable energy is absolute key for energy security and reaching our climate targets and the North Sea play a particularly important role. The Danish Energy Agency is working both nationally and internationally with colleagues in the other North Sea countries to increase our knowledge on how large-scale offshore wind impact the marine environment.”
Timo Kahl, keynote speaker, TenneT TSO GmbH: “As part of our 2GW programme, TenneT is continuously working with suppliers on the technical development of our offshore grid connection systems in order to minimise the impact on the seabed and the Wadden Sea National Park in particular. This enables us to reconcile the potential of the North Sea as Europe's green power plant with the special protection needs of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.”
Impressions
Left: Anne-Marie Vaegter Rasmussen (Wadden Sea Board) © NLPV/Zwoch. Right: Closing statement by Sascha Klöpper (CWSS, right) © CWSS.
Left: Daniël Dusseljee (Witteveen+Bos) © NLPV/Zwoch. Right: Dik Paul (Ministry of Climate and Green Growth) © NLPV/Zwoch.
Left: Ditte Andreasen (Ocean Institute) © NLPV/Zwoch. Right: Timo Kahl (TenneT) © NLPV/Zwoch.
Left: Aline Kühl-Stenzel (NABU) and Hans-Ulrich Rösner (WWF) © NLPV/Zwoch. Right: Gregor Scheiffarth (NLPV) © CWSS.
Left: Participants of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Summer School present their posters at the WSD © CWSS. Right: Ditte Andreasen (Ocean Institute; center) speaking at podium discussion © CWSS.
Sascha Klöpper (CWSS), Anne-Marie Rasmussen (Wadden Sea Board), Peter Südbeck (Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority), Ditte Andreasen (Ocean Institute), and Hans-Ulrich Rösner (WWF) (from left to right) answered questions of the press. © NLPV/ Imke Zwoch.