7 April 2010: The 11th Trilateral Governmental Conference, hosted by Germany at Westerland on the Wadden Sea island of Sylt, next to the Danish border, took place from on 17-18 March 2010. The participating governments adopted a management plan for the entire Wadden Sea region to support action against a number of invasive alien species and in response to major challenges resulting from the effects of climate change in the coastal area, including sea level rise and shore line protection.
The Wadden Sea is Europe’s largest Wetland of International Importance, covering the coast line of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. During the 11th Conference, the three Governments agreed on a joint political programme for the coming years geared towards better protection of the common ecosystem. They also agreed to promote their model at the international scale. In addition, Ministers signed a new Joint Declaration and a new administrative Agreement for the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat. [Texts Adopted by the Conference] [Ramsar Press Release]