Mud flats make bid for world heritage list

A Unesco conference in Spain will decide this week whether the Dutch-German area of the Wadden Sea will be added to its list of 878 World Heritage Sites. Those involved in the Netherlands say it would be "a recognition of an area unique in the world" and could bring economic benefits.

The Wadden Sea (Waddenzee) is a shallow stretch of sea along the North Sea coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The Wadden (literally: mud flats) are characterised by a constant change of tides and are rich in biological diversity. The Germans and Dutch want its uniqueness recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

Recognition

At a Unesco conference in Seville, Spain this week, representatives will decide whether or not the area will get the desired standing. The prestigious Unesco list gives status to cultural-historical landmarks, but also natural heritage sites such as the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the American Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier reef in Australia.

"We see a placement primarily as worldwide recognition of an area that is unique in the world, and an appreciation of our treatment thereof," says Anita Wouters, the director-general at the ministry of agriculture, fishing and nature.

The area up for nomination encompasses the uninhabited parts already protected under national laws: one million hectares of water, salt marshes and tidal flats. The Dutch islands, popular destinations for holidaymakers, are not included, but some of the German islands are.

The idea to nominate the Wadden Sea came about in 1991, but it wasn't until 2005 that the Dutch and Germans got serious about it. The Danish are not (yet) involved.

No big bag of money

The question in the Netherlands is what there is to gain from the status. Being branded a world heritage site does not bring in "a big bag of money", Wouters says. But she does expect "an economic dynamic as a consequence of tourism".

Kinderdijk, for example, saw its number of paying tourists double to 113,000 after its mill network was declared a world heritage site in 1997, and it should soon be able to sustain itself from income derived from that.

The 'regular' economy could also benefit, says Harm Post, director of the seaports in Groningen province. "We had a lot op difficulty convincing our rank and file that it would be a good thing to be on the world heritage list. People feared more rules that would limit their business."

But Post says the ports of Eemshaven and Delfzijl have proved that industry and nature can florish alongside each other. He thinks the status could appeal to employees who like the peace and quite of the Wadden Sea nature. "We are living proof that economy and ecology can go hand in hand. Here we call it econology."