Researchers processing a boxcore sample to assess macrozoobenthic communities on the deck of the Research Vessel Navicula.
Photo credits: Julia Dorigo.

By Kasper Meijer, Oscar Franken, Sterre Witte, Sander Holthuijsen, Tjisse van der Heide, Laura Govers, and Han Olff.

Read the full paper here.

The Dutch Wadden Sea, known for its remarkable natural and cultural value, has been designated as a Natura 2000 site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A patchwork of conservation measures has been implemented, mainly aimed at restricting human activities like bottom-trawling fisheries. Our research focused on evaluating whether these conservation areas meet the criteria for Marine Protected Areas—those areas designated for the protection of marine nature—and whether they overlap with ecological hotspots.

We compared the conservation measures in the Dutch Wadden Sea to identified “ecological hotspots”, which are regions with the highest biodiversity or those hosting the most sensitive species. We found that the Wadden Sea faces significant misalignment between conservation efforts and ecological hotspots. Our study found that only 10% of the subtidal Dutch Wadden Sea is protected by a Marine Protected Area, and merely 2% of this area overlaps with ecological hotspots.

These low percentages raise concerns as they fall short of the goal of protecting 30% of our seas and fail to safeguard areas with the highest ecological values. The results underscore the need for substantial adjustment of the conservation efforts in the Dutch Wadden Sea to achieve more effective protection.