Wadden Sea, Netherlands and Germany

This sea is located northeast of the Netherlands and northwest of Germany, and it has a core protection area of 9,683 km². The heritage site consists of the Wadden Sea Reserve in the Netherlands and the Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The heritage area accounts for more than 66% of the entire Wadden Sea. It is a relatively flat and temperate coastal wetland. The interaction of several complex geographical and biological factors has led to numerous transitional habitats and tidal channels as well as sandy tidal flats, sea meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats, salt marshes, and estuaries. The coasts and sand dunes host innumerable animal and plant species, including marine mammals such as harbour seals, grey seals and harbour porpoises. Every year, more than 12 million waterbirds migrate to this area for breeding and wintering. More than 10% of the 29 species of birds call this area home.