State of the Wadden Sea - Status and trends within the ecosystem of the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea

This report, published by the Waddenacademie and Statistics Netherlands (CBS), was commissioned by the Dutch ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW). Its findings will contribute to the development of the new Policy Framework for Nature in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea, aimed at supporting sustainable nature management and improving decision-making on human activities in the area.

The report provides a comprehensive and standardised overview of the status and trends of natural values in the Dutch Wadden Sea, based on 238 indicators covering the themes of weather & climate, the living environment and species. 

This is an English version of the key findings from the Dutch summary report, published in June 2025 by the Wadden Academy and Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The text has been adapted to place the findings more firmly within a trilateral perspective, and appendices have been added containing tables of the common and scientific names of the species studied.

Authors:
Katja Philippart, Kees Bastmeijer, Pieter van Beukering, Piet Hoekstra & Heleen van Londen, Waddenacademie
Patrick Bogaart, Karen Brandenburg & Felix Petersma, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek.

Report 2026-03

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State of the Wadden Sea - Status and trends within the ecosystem of the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea (pdf 3,5 Mb).