Anja Domnick of the Trilateral Cooperation, Common Wadden Sea Secretariat explains how the Oris partnership is engaging young people.
Anja, two years have passed since we first collaborated. Remind us of the story of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat…
The Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) supports, facilitates and coordinates the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation (TWSC) of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. We’re an international, government-funded organisation that brings stakeholders of the Wadden Sea together on various topics, such as education, monitoring and research, environmental protections, site management and sustainable development – all towards preserving the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site for future generations.
And tell us again about the role the Wadden Sea plays in global biodiversity?
The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken intertidal flats system in the world, where natural processes run largely undisturbed. It is a vastly dynamic landscape rich in flora and fauna. Over 10,000 species can be found here, and the level of biomass is comparable to that of the rainforest. This richness and the open space make the Wadden Sea an essential site along the East Atlantic Flyway. Migratory birds depend on resting and feeding in the Wadden Sea to succeed on their travels from the Arctic to Africa and back. As a result, global biodiversity is reliant on this ecosystem.
What threats is the area facing today?
Human activities, such as fisheries, shipping, tourism, energy and coastal protection put pressures on the Wadden Sea. Climate change poses a high threat. Within the TWSC, we work relentlessly on jointly mitigating and adapting to climate change as well as finding ways to reduce human-made pressures on the ecosystem.
Since the collaboration with Oris began, how has the CWSS’s mission progressed?
Just this year, we have adopted a document to better harmonise the management of our shared site. The SIMP – Integrated Management Plan – for ONE Wadden Sea World Heritage may sound dull, but it will serve as the backbone and guidance for our future activities. It’s a true milestone in our cooperation. CWSS is committed to strengthening the ONE Wadden Sea World Heritage Site in a changing world. We aim to inspire the next generation in conservation by engaging and inspiring young people in diverse programmes. In 2022, for the first time, a Trilateral Youth Conference was organised prior to the Trilateral Governmental Conference to give the young generation a stage to discuss their main concerns and ideas in relation to the protection of the Wadden Sea. The TWSC is investing in driven young people from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands and will continue with the exchange to increase youth’s influence on the conservation of the Wadden Sea. The TWSC also supports “Young Climate Action for World Heritage”, a youth project combining the topics of UNESCO World Heritage and climate change with a focus on sustainable action.
What highlights would you pick out from the collaboration with Oris so far?
Certainly, the beach clean-ups we organised in the Netherlands and Germany through the Oris partnership. In 2021, we connected a group of Oris partners with private sail boat owners. Together, we sailed to an uninhabited Dutch island and collected washed up marine litter. Last year, Oris supported a clean-up we helped organise on the German island of Spiekeroog. Thanks to the partnership we were also able to support a kids’ camp in Harlesiel on the wonders of the Wadden Sea.
How has the collaboration impacted awareness of the Wadden Sea and your work?
Oris has opened the doors to an audience that we could not have reached on our own. Our audience are people who know the Wadden Sea and live, visit or work here. Through Oris’s channels, people from all over the globe get to hear about the Wadden Sea as well as about our work. This is essential for us because people can only protect what they know. Widening our reach pays directly into the protection of our site.
The collaboration is being renewed for two years: why did you choose to further it and what goals have you set for this new chapter?
We have had some exciting years with Oris filled with enriching activities and benefits for both sides. We are very happy to continue this partnership. As part of Oris’s continuing mission to bring Change for the Better, the extended cooperation with the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site will help young people voice their perspectives, giving them the opportunity to create change within their communities, build innovative solutions to address key climate, biodiversity and pollution challenges, and usher in a more sustainable future.
What further activities are you planning with Oris to energise the collaboration?
While clean-up activities are going to remain a pillar of our partnership, another will become youth involvement. Protection will soon be in the hands of today’s young generation. We want to show them that they have the power to make a difference and ensure a more sustainable future. The TWSC will further support youth engagement and has asked Oris to get on board, creating opportunities for young people to engage with nature, in a learning environment, in their communities and even in their careers.
How can the Oris community get involved?
The Oris community and every single person can get involved by becoming conscious of their own environmental footprint and changing their mindsets. One thing we always try to communicate: The Wadden Sea as a World Heritage Site belongs to us all. Therefore, every one of us is responsible for protecting it. You can support NGOs and local initiatives, pick up litter on your beach stroll, or merely make changes in your consumption at home. Even the smallest effort contributes to the big picture.
Since the partnership began, Oris has been independently certified as a climate-neutral company: how important is this to you?
Our guiding principle is the protection of nature. This can only be achieved with a conscious mindset about the consequences of one’s own actions. So partnering with organisations that continuously work on reducing their environmental footprint is becoming more and more important. Oris is one of our first partners.
The dial of the Dat Watt Limited Edition II is inspired by the Wadden Sea’s salt marshes: what can you tell us about those?
Salt marshes are one of the essential habitats in the Wadden Sea and a hotspot of biodiversity. They host an incredible richness of insects and spiders, which are dependent on the specific salt marsh vegetation. In all, 2,300 species of flora and fauna are found here. In addition, salt marshes are an important natural storage of CO2. Submerged in salt water, the plants do not rot and therefore release less CO2. Preserving them pays into climate change mitigation.
And what do you think of the watch?
It’s a powerful symbol of our mission. The back of the watch (page 14) shows the coastline of the Wadden Sea reaching from Den Helder in the Netherlands to Skallingen in Denmark. This is a wonderful representation of the Wadden Sea, showing how this ecosystem reaches across three countries. This fact is pivotal to our cooperation, because it’s only together that we can effectively protect and conserve this ONE Wadden Sea today and for future generations.