World Heritage Committee Adopts Decision Regarding the Wadden Sea

Wide room with several people sitting in plenary seating facing a stage with a seated podium.

The World Heritage Committee is currently holding their 48th session in Busan, Republic of Korea. Today, on 24 July 2026, the Committee adopted a report and decision regarding the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site prepared by the World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

While the Committee acknowledged the joint response of the three Wadden Sea states to last year’s decision and recognised the progress made in trilateral cooperation, climate change adaptation, and renewable energy planning, it’s Decision included the following key requests:

  • A request to strengthen the assessment and management of cumulative and long-term impacts, including those related to climate change, extractive activities, and renewable energy developments;
  • A call for rigorous and harmonised impact assessments to assess potential impacts on the property's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
  • A request to prioritise completion and implementation of the joint Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and evaluate whether additional protective measures are needed to safeguard the OUV;
  • A request to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission in 2027 to assess the property's state of conservation.

As in past years, to address the World Heritage Committee’s requests, the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands through its Task Group World Heritage, supported by the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat will prepare a joint report required in response to the Committee's requests, which must be submitted to the World Heritage Centre by February 2027.

With the nomination of the Wadden Sea as a World Heritage Site, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, all parties to the World Heritage Convention, have committed themselves to their duty to ensure the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site. With the Trilateral Cooperation to protect the Wadden Sea commonly since 1978, the three Wadden Sea States enjoy a long tradition of safeguarding the ecosystem.

All World Heritage Committee documents are available on UNESCO's website. 

Emne
International cooperation
Management
Area
Wadden Sea World Heritage site