The Wadden Sea is well known for the large flocks of birds that visit the area during the annual migration to and from the Arctic. In recent years, there has been increased concern about these Arctic travellers due to the impact of changing climatic conditions in the Arctic.

The Wadden Sea was recognised with a dedicated session during the conference ECSA 58 - EMECS 13: Estuaries and coastal seas in the Anthropocene – Structure, functions, services and management which took place as an online event from September 6 to 9, 2021.

The 2020-2021 counts show a steady increase in the number of grey seals in the Wadden Sea.

WG-Swimway and invited guests drafted a policy statement based on existing guidelines and regulations with a direct link to the Trilateral Fish Targets at European level and how these have been implemented per country and trying to analyse their contribution to the realization of these targets.

UNESCO released the first global scientific assessment of its World Heritage marine sites’ blue carbon ecosystems, highlighting the critical environmental value of these habitats.

About 395,000 breeding pairs of coastal breeding birds occur in the transnational Wadden Sea, of which 75% inhabit the islands and Halligen.

In January 2020 the third Total Count of the East Atlantic Flyway was organized. The now published compilation of national reports gives a first overview of the bird numbers counted in 32 countries along the Flyway.