Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park

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Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park
Nationalpark Hamburgisches Wattenmeer
HamburgWaddenSeaNationalPark (cropped).jpg
Satellite picture of the 3 islands of the national park
Karte Nationalpark Hamburgisches Wattenmeer.png
Location of the park in northern Germany Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park
Location North Sea coast, Hamburg, Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Coordinates 53°56′07″N8°28′22″E / 53.935329°N 8.472694°E / 53.935329; 8.472694
Area13,750 ha (53.1 sq mi)
EstablishedApril 9, 1990 (1990-04-09)
Official nameHamburgisches Wattenmeer
Designated1 August 1990
Reference no.501 [1]
The Wadden Sea near Duhnen Watt bei Duhnen-1.jpg
The Wadden Sea near Duhnen

The Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park (German : Hamburgisches Wattenmeer) is the smallest of the three German Wadden Sea National Parks which protect the single ecological entity of the Wadden Sea reaching from Den Helder to Esbjerg.

Contents

It is an exclave of the city state of Hamburg in North Germany and lies 12.5 km off Cuxhaven in the estuary of the Elbe in the North Sea (German Bight) and includes the islands of Neuwerk, Scharhörn and Nigehörn. It is made up mainly of sand and mixed mudflats with shallow creeks, sand bars (Plaaten) and the dune islands. In 2011 the national park was added to the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site, highlighting its intact intertidal ecosystem, importance as a breeding area for many species of birds, and uniquely high biodiversity. [2]

National park

In accordance with a ruling by the Hamburg Parliament on 9 April 1990 the area was reclassified as the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park. On 5 April 2001 the law was updated and the national park area expanded as a result.

The total area of the national park (Zones 1 and 2) is 13,750 hectares (53.1 sq mi). The Zone 1 areas are under special protection, limiting mudflat hiking and horse and carriage rides to designated routes.

Within the national park there are about 2,000 animal species, of which about 250 are endemic to the salt marshes of the Wadden Sea. Of particular note are the common seal and the gray seal. Due to the natural influx of sediment, there is a high concentration of food for young fish and seabirds at the mouth of the Elbe. The national park is therefore an important resting and moulting area for seabirds.

For example, shelducks live on the snails that are found in hundreds of thousands on the surface of the mudflats. The approximately 180,000 birds of the north-western shelduck population spends also their moulting period from July to September in the Wadden Sea, which is protected by the three national parks in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. About 200,000 eider ducks also spend their moulting season here; about 1,000 pairs of eiders also use the mudflats of the North Sea as a breeding area. Most of them breed on the island of Amrum.

At the same time, the Wadden Sea is a resting place for breeding birds from northern climes that eat up the fat reserves they need for successful breeding. As a result, there are about 10-12 million waders, geese, ducks and gulls in the Wadden Sea as a whole. [2]

The park works closely with the Jordsand Society (Verein Jordsand) especially in the area of bird conservation.

Biosphere reserve

Since 1992 the national park has also been designated as a biosphere reserve, something which increases the importance of the park, because since then it has been placed under international protection in accordance with the UNESCO programme, "man and biosphere". The national park management is responsible for the care of the biosphere reserve and its national aspects.

Addresses

Nationalpark Hamburgisches Wattenmeer
Nationalpark-Station Neuwerk, Turmwurt
D - 27499 Insel Neuwerk
Tel.: 04721 / 69271

and

Behörde für Umwelt, Klima, Energie und Agrarwirtschaft
Nationalpark-Verwaltung Hamburgisches Wattenmeer
Neuenfelder Straße 19
D - 21109 Hamburg

Sources

Filmography

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dithmarschen</span> District in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Frisian Islands</span> Chain of German islands in the North Sea

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amrum</span> German island

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Neuwerk (; is a 3 km2 tidal island in the Wadden Sea a marginal part of North Sea along the German coast. The population in 2023 was 21. Neuwerk is located 13 km northwest of Cuxhaven, between the Weser and Elbe estuaries. The distance to the centre of Hamburg is about 120 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Bight</span> Geographic feature along the coasts of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands

The German Bight is the southeastern bight of the North Sea bounded by the Netherlands and Germany to the south, and Denmark and Germany to the east. To the north and west it is limited by the Dogger Bank. The Bight contains the Frisian and Danish Islands. The Wadden Sea is approximately ten to twelve kilometres wide at the location of the German Bight. The Frisian islands and the nearby coastal areas are collectively known as Frisia. The southern portion of the bight is also known as the Heligoland Bight. Between 1949 and 1956 the BBC Sea Area Forecast used "Heligoland" as the designation for the area now referred to as German Bight.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Frisian Barrier Island</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park</span> National Park in Lower Saxony, Germany

The Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park was established in 1986 and embraces the East Frisian Islands, mudflats and salt marshes between the Bay of Dollart on the border with the Netherlands in the west and Cuxhaven as far as the Outer Elbe shipping channel in the east. The national park has an area of about 345,800 hectares (1,335 sq mi). The National Park organisation is located in Wilhelmshaven. In June 2009, the National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea and the Dutch Wadden Sea, highlighting its unique intertidal ecosystem and high biodiversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dithmarscher Eiderwatt</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Großer Knechtsand</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trischen</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scharhörn</span> Uninhabited German island

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigehörn</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waddensea of Hamburg</span>

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References

  1. "Hamburgisches Wattenmeer". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Wadden Sea". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 26 June 2021.