Marine World Heritage managers unite at the Wadden Sea in effort to accelerate conservation success
From 5 to 9 October 2023, managers from the 50 marine sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List gathered to discuss critical challenges and solutions in protecting ocean biodiversity of outstanding universal value to humanity. The conference’s objective was to accelerate conservation successes by sharing what works and what doesn’t, and to avoid costly mistakes that can be prevented when knowledge is exchanged.
During the 5-day gathering, representatives from the global network of marine World Heritage sites, including Everglades National Park (USA), Komodo National Park (Indonesia), the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa), and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), among others, discussed topics ranging from climate change adaptation to sustainable finance. They also covered issues such as building community resilience, eradication of invasive species, and engagement of local businesses, youth and volunteers.
The conference also welcomed global experts in climate change, invasive species and conservation financing allowing for state-of-the art expertise in tackling critical conservation challenges. Sites shared their key management challenges and prepared a brief summary of the critical needs to overcome the challenge which opened the door for collaborative relationships across the network and for setting priorities for the future.
“Local managers are key to implementing viable solutions in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – the triple planetary crises. It was an honour to host the conference at the Wadden Sea and learn from each other’s successes & failures.”
The conference also celebrated conservation achievements from across the network. Since the first edition of the World Heritage Marine Managers Conference, which took place in Hawaii in 2010, partnerships have been formed between sites across different parts of the globe. In 2014, the Wadden Sea World Heritage site (Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands) and the Banc d’Arguin National Park World Heritage site (Mauritania) signed a partnership agreement on shared capacity and expertise on bird monitoring to protect the migratory birds visiting both sites as part of the East Atlantic Flyway. In 2019, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (United States of America) and West Norwegian Fjords - Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (Norway) signed a partnership agreement promoting the application of best practices in cruise ship operations, visitor interpretation programmes and engagement with local communities.
Since 2016, nearly half of the marine World Heritage sites are on a journey to develop comprehensive climate resilience strategies after the third World Heritage Marine Manages Conference held in the Galapagos Islands World Heritage site (Ecuador) illustrated how ill-equipped and overwhelmed World Heritage managers were in tackling climate change. It also marked the start of the Resilient Reefs Initiative through which Belize, Palau and Australia launched resilience strategies in 2023 and New Caledonia is expected to do so in the coming months.
Since the first marine site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, the network has grown to encompass 50 unique ocean places across 37 countries that stretch from the tropics to the poles. It includes the breeding grounds of the world’s last healthy population of grey whales, the highest density of ancestral polar-bear dens, and the home of the world’s most ancient fish and the inimitable marine iguana. Despite covering less than 1 percent of the world’s oceans, World Heritage marine sites protect at least 21% of the global area of blue carbon ecosystems.
This 5th conference builds on previous editions held in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, USA (2019), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (2016), Scandola Reserve, France (2013) and Hawaii, USA (2010).
The conference was organized in collaboration with the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat and financially supported by the Principality of Monaco, the French Biodiversity Agency, the governments of Denmark and Germany, The Nature Conservancy, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Schleswig-Holstein Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature, and the Municipality of Esbjerg (Denmark).
