The Wadden Sea may soon be a “World Heritage site” no longer. UNESCO is threatening to revoke the sea’s special status in light of its ecological damage.
Since 2009, The Wadden area has been recorded as one of the 1,121 precious heritage sites on the UNESCO list and enjoyed its status as a place with “outstanding universal value”, NU.nl reports.
But as it turns out, salt extraction from under the Wadden Sea and nearby gas drilling aren’t a good look. 😬
In fact, you might say they’re even destroying the environment. The soil beneath the sea is subsiding, and sea levels run the risk of rising.
READ MORE | Islands of the Netherlands: a guide to the Wadden Islands
Not only that, but fish and other species in the area are having their habitat disrupted by the noisy mining. 🐟
The requirements
According to the World Heritage Organization, the Dutch simply need to pull the brakes on their gas extraction at Ternaard, a village in the North of the country.
In addition, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark need to put their heads together to figure out how they’re going to conserve the Wadden Sea — and they must do so before the deadline of February 1.
A conference taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between September 10 and 25 will determine the Wadden Sea’s fate and whether it still deserves World Heritage status upon closer inspection. 🧐
If the critical report of the sea’s condition is unsatisfactory, the Netherlands will lose one of its 11 beloved World Heritage sites. 😭
Have you ever visited the Dutch Wadden Sea? What do you think about it potentially losing its UNESCO status? Tell us in the comments!