Photo: Adam Mørk
The gate to UNESCO’s world heritage The UNESCO-protected Wadden Sea is a coastal wetland area stretching from the Netherlands to Denmark. Despite its desolate beauty, the Wadden Sea is a paradise for wildlife, full of astounding biodiversity if you know where to look. The people at Denmark’s Wadden Sea Centre, near Ribe, will open up a whole new world – and ensure that the only thing we leave behind is our footprints. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Vadehavscentret
The Wadden Sea Centre tells a million different life stories about the world just beyond its walls: stories of life and death, of migration and survival, change and tradition. Every year, millions of migratory birds make their way from as far away as southern Africa to the marshy plains of northern Europe. As the centre shows, they gorge themselves on the rich buffet provided by the Wadden Sea in order to survive, joined at the table by seals, and even humans. From ancient times, humans have feasted on the bountiful oysters found in the tidal waters off southern Jutland, too. In the Middle Ages, cockle shells were collected and mashed up to be used as mortar for churches, cathedrals and castles, while the 16th century saw the 42 | Issue 131 | December 2019
sea floor ravished for its precious salt. The Wadden Sea remains as important as ever to Danes, though the relationship to it has transformed. Today, it makes up Denmark’s largest national park and, together with its German and Dutch counterparts, the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats on earth. It has become part of the network of UNESCO World Heritage Sites scattered around the world, all aiming to ensure the protection and preservation of the unique corners of our world.
A positive impact “‘Sustainable tourism’ might sound like just another modern buzzword, but it is vitally important to our wellbeing on this planet,” says nature guide and director
Klaus Melbye. “Just look at the problems that Venice is facing with pollution and cruise ships and such. Here at the Wadden Sea, we have something unique in the world, which we can’t afford to lose: the way not to lose it is to make sure people know how special it is, and so, we need people to find out by visiting. At the same time, we have to make sure that we don’t have a negative impact on the animals and environments we visit out here.” The Wadden Sea Centre emphasises that making tourism sustainable is an ongoing process, which they’re always working to improve. Recently, the centre entered into a research project with Roskilde University to investigate the impact of its guided tours on the area’s many little seal pups, to find out how to plan the trips without disturbing their feeding and resting. The tours change depending on which areas and animals need rest. “We’re thrilled that people are now much more aware of how we treat the environment, and it is evident that our guests truly care that they do