Case Studies Level 1+ Wadden Sea National Park Area: Schleswig-Holstein Country: Germany Date of Completion: 9.1. 06 Pen Picture Schleswig-Holstein s (Lower Saxony) part of the Wadden Sea is a traditional holiday destination. An area of 4,400 sq km has been protected as the Schleswig- Holstein Wadden Sea National Park since 1985. LIFE Nature has helped fund a programme of sustainable tourism development in the area and a LEADER+ scheme is now in place. This is the largest National Park in Europe. Tourism and leisure are the most important economic activities in the region. Key Lessons Importance of zoning The National Park Office working closely with local communities and businesses in a formal partnership programme Emphasising the potential opportunities created by nature tourism The use of certificated and approved tourism operators organised by the National Park Commitment to socio-economic modelling and research The importance of efficient, good quality information systems for visitors Qualified face-to-face information and interpretation Intensive communication between tourism and conservation interests is vital Creation of environmentally friendly travel and tour packages Professional marketing essential Good monitoring databases Location The National Park is located on the North Sea at the northern extremity of Germany bordering Denmark and the Netherlands. The nearest towns are Husum and Tönning. STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 1
Overview This is one of three national parks in the German part of the Wadden Sea Region, the others being: National Park Hamburgischer Wattenmeer National Park Niedersachsisches Wattenmeer and one of 35 national parks in Germany. The Danish and Dutch Wadden Sea are protected as nature reserves. The Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig-Holstein covers 4,400 sq km. It is a unique coastal landscape of tidal flats, salt marsh, dunes and beaches inhabited by specialised plants and populated by large numbers of migratory and breeding birds. Seals and harbour porpoises abound. There are no residents within the Park area. However, on the imbedded islands and bordering mainland region there is a population of 300,000. Within the overall national park objectives visitors are invited to enjoy and experience nature in the Wadden Sea. The National Park Law (amended in 1999) now requires the National Park management to have due regard for the economic and social well-being of the regional population via sustainable development. In the National Park traditional uses of nature including shrimp and shell fisheries are allowed. The real economic potential is in the development of nature tourism: bathing, walking, trips to seal sand banks and bird hides on the salt marshes. Tourism is the most important economic sector contributing 20% of all activity (fishing 0.8%, agriculture 5%, other 75%). An estimated 15 17 million overnight stays were recorded in this coastal region in 2002 (approximately 28% of the total for the whole Wadden Sea Region), together with 4 million day trippers. The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park comprises: Mud flats Salt marsh Sand banks Other (incl water) Total 130,000 ha 6,900 ha 4,300 ha 300,000 ha 441,200 ha STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 2
The National Park has three levels of access/conservation zoning: Zone 1 - Wild area with no public access = 37% Zone 2 - Intermediate with limited public access = 62% Zone 3 - Unrestricted public access = 1% An estimated 30% of the population derive their living from tourism and 1 : 5 Euros earned in the region flows from tourism Tourists motivations are strongly associated with the natural environment and the potential to interact with the environment. A 1996 survey of visitors to Schleswig-Holstein showed that: o 97% felt that a protected environment was essential to their holiday satisfaction o 65% wanted to directly interact with the environment o 39% wanted to observe animals in their natural habitats o 39% wanted an opportunity to visit a National Park and that this was important in their choice of a holiday destination. Status of Conservation Designation National Park (designated 1985) UNESCO Biosphere (1990) Candidate for World Heritage Site status Planning Framework The National Park operates within the Trilateral Wadden Sea Region Cooperative Programme (see Case Study on Region). Background/History Sea Wadden Sea regional case study. Aims/Objectives The objectives of the National Park are: 1. Protection of the Wadden Sea for future generations 2. Undisturbed development 3. Recreation and nature tourism 4. Research and monitoring Key Resource Facts The Wadden Sea environment is harsh. Mud flats dry out at low tide exposing organisms to wind, weather and predators. Marine mussels, snails, shrimps and worms are adapted to these extreme conditions. This is a rich feeding ground for birds, both breeding and migratory. The Sea is home to two seal species. In 2001 more than 19,000 common seals were counted, over 7,500 in the Schleswig- Holstein National Park. The Grey Seal is less abundant. Habitats The Wadden Sea, islands and adjacent coastal mainland form a postglacial ecosystem less than 10,000 years old. The Wadden Sea is an ecotone that forms a zone of transition from the North Sea to mainland Europe. STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 3
Topography There is little variation in elevation in the terrestrial component of the Wadden Ecosystem, which is made up mainly of a coastal plain and offshore islands with low elevations. Coastal sand dunes, beach ridges and major dykes protecting lowlying freshwater marshes and agricultural fields form major features of many areas of the Wadden Sea. The topography of the inter-tidal area is marked by a myriad of channels, mudflats and sandflats that are exposed at low tide. Climate The climate is similar to that of the east coast of Scotland. The area is exposed to severe gales, and ice in winter that can cause major fluctuations in the animal and plant populations. These climatic conditions are also a factor in the dynamism of the linter-tidal and supra-tidal landforms,. As a result, the evolution of any given marine or terrestrial site in the Wadden Sea is highly variable and unpredictable (Reise 1994). Biodiversity Heydemann (1998) has stated that no other ecosystem has a recorded diversity of species similar to that of the Wadden Sea. The biological diversity is high: some 30 biotopes contain about 4800 marine and semi-terrestrial species, or 5% of the 95,000 animal and plants species in central Europe (Heydemann 1998). The salt marshes in the Wadden Sea have the highest species diversity. While they constitute only 3% of the surface area, they contain nearly half of the recorded plant and animal species. Many of these species are endemic, living exclusively in this biotype. No other central European ecosystem has a higher number of animal species than the salt meadow, with a species density per unit of area up to 900 times higher than the North Sea (Heydemann 1998). The Wadden Ecosystem supports a major commercial fishery in the North Sea, a large range species of migratory wildfowl using the East Atlantic Flyway, and large numbers of marine mammals. Culture/Heritage The National Park is a special cultural area and has been the subject of a special study called LANCEWAD The Landscape and Cultural Heritage of the Wadden Sea Region started in 1999 completed 2001 From the Stone Age (2000 BC) man has influenced this landscape with continual inhabitation leaving a landscape of barrows, dwelling mounds, polder mills, lighthouses, dykes and water systems GIS mapping has taken place to record the detail of this landscape The cultural heritage has been shaped by the interrelationships of gaining a living from land and sea Key Tourism Facts Product Services and Infrastructure National Park Visitor Centres at: Multimar Wattforum Husum Föhr Meldorf Biggerhus auf Hooge STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 4
The main visitor centre, Multimar Wattforum, is located in Tönning and interprets the entire area Nine trails through the mud flats guided walks on the tidal flats with certificated guides are a unique interpretive experience Guided boat trips certified by the National Park Office 150,000 commercially available tourism beds The National Park Service provides a ranger service offering walks and talks along with a diversity of other activities/services associated with visitor information and interpretation Private nature conservation societies organise and manage voluntary work camps and warden sensitive conservation areas, as well as provide interpretation and operate a network of regional information centres In the period 1998 2001 the EU LIFE Nature programme helped finance a comprehensive infrastructure of visitor information and interpretive facilities: Information panels 115 Information maps 57 Information kiosks 17 Nature trails 7 Observation platforms 2 198 Volume 15 17 million overnight stays 4 million day trippers In 2002 116,000 people participated in 5,000 guided tours on the mud flats of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea 240,000 visits are made to the Multimar Wattforum Visitor Centre in Tönning Economic Information (pricing, value, impact) Socio-economic modelling took place in 1999 designed to know more about visitors and their behaviour including spending patterns. This included opinion surveys In 2002 a telephone survey took place with people living outside the Region which showed a positive response to the existence of the Park 81% of all visitors regard the designation as a National Park as being very important to them One third of all households in the region derive an income from tourism 20% of all jobs are in tourism and hospitality Key Issues associated with tourism development/management Traffic management - over 85% of all visits involve a car, with public transport accounting for less than 10% of all trips Retention of traditional culture a pioneer spirit Managing visitor honey pots and encouraging appropriate levels of dispersal Communication and promotion of Park values and philosophy STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 5
Continued engagement and involvement of the local communities Training and developing competent interpreters for face-to-face interaction with visitors Management/Organisation/Funding/Finance The National Park is managed by the Regional Office of the National Park Service based in Tönning. This Office is responsible for the protection and management of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park and ensures that the objectives of the National Park Law are considered in all aspects of local planning. Achievements/Innovation (1) The National Park Office has established a partnership programme with a regional brand National Park Partner (www.nationalpark-partner.de). This means that, as long as they adhere to good practice and a voluntary code of conduct, enterprises, communities, tourist associations, etc can become a partner of the National Park. They have to fulfil basic environmental standards set down by Viabono (www.viabono.de). This is the new brand for all operators offering nature tourism services in Germany. In addition, the partners commit themselves to support and communicate the aims and philosophy of the National Park. The attendance at further education courses once a year is obligatory for all employees to update information and impart competent knowledge of the Park. In return, partners are able to use the logo and receive free information materials. Cross marketing via print media and the Internet takes place and is stipulated in the contract. (2) The Wadden Sea has pioneered the value of the National Park as a marketing concept and is regarded as a unique selling proposition. The National Park Office, with a LEADER+ project, has established the Wadden Sea Nature Experience and Tourism Programme. During 2003 2006 this will improve the visitor experience and quality of those operators providing nature experiences and there will be an integrated approach to marketing. The project will include: Marketing seminars for operators Exemplar/good practice excursions Conferences/workshops Interpretive training. (3) The development of the concept that the National Park has created opportunities for sustainable tourism development. STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 6
Contacts Bibliography Christiane Gätje, National Park Office Gätje, C 2004 Double Strategy Towards Sustainable Tourism in the Wadden Sea National Park Working Papers of the Finnish forest Research Institute 2 Gätje, C 2000 Socio-economic Monitoring in the Wadden Sea Newsletter 2000 1 Hannerman, T et al 2003 Destination Deutsche Nationalparke als Turistische Marks Tourism Review 58 Wadden Sea Newsletter Quarterly Websites: www.waddensea-forum.org www.waddensea-secretariat.org/news/publications www.nationalpark-partner.de www.schleswig-holstein.info www.nationalparkamt.de www.coastalguide.to/schleswig_holstein STEVENS & ASSOCIATES 2006 7