Thirty years after the implementation of the Wadden Sea Seal Agreement, the population of harbour seals in the Wadden Sea, has increased five-fold and is assumed to have reached the same level as estimated in 1900.

More than 30 representatives from the whole Wadden Sea met on 8-10 November 2021 in Denmark at the annual International Wadden Sea School (IWSS) workshop.

The 15th International Scientific Wadden Sea Symposium, planned for Büsum, Schleswig-Holstein (D) on 30 Nov - 3 Dec 2021, will now be held online.

Science and youth engagement are two of the key topics in this year’s Annual Report from the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat. There is also an update on all the activities of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation from 2021 – a year in which, despite lockdowns and restrictions has seen lots of things to celebrate.

With the start of November, the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) has a new staff member: Simone Prestes Dürrnagel. Simone will organise the first Wadden Sea Youth Conference, to be held in autumn 2022 at the same time as the Trilateral Governmental Conference.

Since October, multiple cases of bird flu have been reported in the Wadden Sea. Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands all confirmed that the highly pathogenic bird flu virus HPAI has been identified in dead migratory birds found within the Wadden Sea.

The 15th International Scientific Wadden Sea Symposium, which this year will be held in Büsum, Schleswig-Holstein (D) on 30 Nov - 3 Dec 2021, is now at full capacity in line with the local restrictions for events, with 180 participants. It is therefore no longer possible to book at place at the event.

A milestone for the remarkable recovery of the Wadden Sea harbour seal population.

During two weekends in September, the first ever East Atlantic Flyway Youth Forum took place. 79 enthusiastic young conservationists from 34 countries had signed up for the event to discuss the role and importance of youth engagement in flyway conservation.