First trilateral summer school on Wadden Sea World Heritage a success

After ten days of learning about the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site and the intricate aspects of its ecology, nature conservation, sustainable development, and management, the trilateral summer school is coming to an end. Through theoretical lectures, field visits, and collaborated solution-seeking, 18 Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students from the Wadden Sea countries and abroad investigated the multifaceted challenges the Wadden Sea faces. The summer school participants presented their results in the framework of yesterday’s annual Wadden Sea Day.

Cristina Nazzari, co-organiser from the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat: “With the enthusiastic feedback we’ve received, I believe we succeeded not only in educating on the complexities of Wadden Sea conservation, management, and governance, but also in providing a platform to engage with active professionals. We hope that this school helped foster a community of future leading guardians of natural world heritage.”

The students wrapped up their days on the island of Borkum, Germany, in a video clip that was also showcased at the Wadden Sea Day and can be viewed below:

The next summer school is planned to be held in Denmark, on the German Island of Sylt, and in Wilhelmshaven on 18.08 to 29.08.2025. The Wadden Sea World Heritage Summer School 2024 was a joint initiative of Alfred Wegener Institute, the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences, the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority, the Danish Wadden Sea National Park, and the Waddenacademie, supported by the Trilateral Programming Committee on Wadden Sea Research and the Partnership Hub within the framework of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation.

Impressions

Photos by Birte Leutelt, Hinke Lise Hoekstra, Katharina Greitemann, and Konstantina Apostolopoulou.