Wadden Sea and Banc d’ArguinWorld Heritage

The East Atlantic Flyway partnership for the conservation of tidal flat

ecosystems

The East Atlantic Flyway

ImpressumCommon Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) Virchowstr. 1 | 26382 Wilhelmshaven | Germanyphone +49 4421 91080info@waddensea-secretariat.orgwww.waddensea-secretariat.orgwww.waddensea-worldhertitage.org

Parc National du Banc D’Arguin (PNBA)Avenue Nouadhibou | 5355 Nouakchott | Mauritaniawww.pnba.mr

Photos: A. Littaye, M. Stock, J. van de Kam, K. Kreuijer, B. Hälterlein, K. Janke

Memorandum of Understanding Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative

Aims of the Memorandum of Understanding• share knowledge and experiences in the fields of

conservation, management and the sustainable use of tidal flat ecosystems

• enhance communication and awareness of the Wadden Sea and Banc d’Arguin to achieve an under-standing of the necessity to manage and conserve migratory birds on a global scale

• support research activities

• promote and support cooperation among parties and organizations along the flyway

• cooperate to support the World Heritage Convention

Working arrangements• joint migratory bird monitoring programmes and

dissemination of information at the national and international levels

• regular exchange visits and the transfer of know-how of experts and site managers

• support of common scientific and management projects to promote conservation and management of the Wadden Sea’s and Banc d’Arguin’s natural resources

The Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative was launched in 2012 to strengthen waterbird conservation and monitoring along the East Atlantic flyway. Through the Memorandum of Understanding of 2014 the PNBA has joined the Flyway Initiative.To a large extent the Wadden Sea and the Banc d’Arguin welcome the same birds although at different times of the year. Nine migratory waterbird species visit the Wadden Sea with more than 50% of their flyway population. The Banc d’Arguin welcomes more than 50% of shorebirds wintering in Africa. Red Knot, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit are the three most abundant and common species in the two areas. In addition, more than 50% of the Eura-sian White Spoonbill winter at the Banc d’Arguin, where they join the endemic subspecies.Mauritania joined Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands as a contracting party to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) in 2015.

Man and the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea is a famous recreation area where visitors can engage in activities like mudflat walking and bird and seal watching, or just relax at the coast while enjoying the typical smells and sounds.Tourism generates the main income for the local population in the Wadden Sea region. A sustainable tourism strategy has been developed to balance the needs of the annual 10 million tourists staying 70 million nights with the requirements of nature conservation.More than 50 visitor centers along the Wadden Sea coast and on the islands are informing visitors on all aspects of animal and plant life, nature protection and the World Heritage con-cept.The main fisheries in the area, targeting brown shrimp and blue mussel, are closely monitored and regulated in terms of time and area.

For decades fisheries have been fundamental for the Mau-ritanian economy. Within the Banc d’Arguin park, access to fish stocks is restricted to the resident population, the Imraguen. Only the use of a traditional sailing boat called “lanche” is allowed, in order to limit bird disturbance and pollution.These fisheries have changed in the 2000s, from subsist-ence-based production mostly targeting yellow-eye mul-let, to a market-oriented production sector. The main fish species that is being caught changes with the season. Even though the park is a shark sanctuary, the continuous mar-ket demand for shark and ray has threatened the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem.The Banc d´Arguin National Park is facing a variety of ma-jor threats. Challenges include population growth, port ex-pansion projects, fishery development, the growth of the offshore oil drilling and maritime shipping sectors, new road development, and finally new mining deposits. The effects of these challenges are compounded by significant coastal erosion and the growing effects of climate change.

Man and the Banc d’Arguin

Parc Nationaldu Banc d‘Arguininscrit sur la Listedu patrimoine mondialen 1989

Parc Nationaldu Banc d‘Arguininscrit sur la Listedu patrimoine mondialen 1989

SouthAmerica

NorthAmerica

Asia

Western Europe

West Africa

Arctic

5.000 KM

BreedingStaging and wintering

10.000 KM

Wadden Sea

Africa

Banc d’Arguin

Bijagòs

Southern Africa

Biodiversity Biodiversity

The alternation of the cold Canaries current and the warm Guinea current has a marked effect on biodiversity in the Banc d’Arguin. Cordgrasslands and mangrove swamps can be found in the park, which is also home to tropical terns, Si-berian shorebirds, flamingos, humpback dolphins and monk seals.More than 1,000 km² of the area consist of seagrass beds. Their long leaves play a critical role within the coastal eco-system. They support a large microfauna, which forms the first link in the food chain. These seagrass beds also reduce hydrodynamics and filter out floating particles contributing to maintaining the mudflats and the water transparency.The natural breakwaters limit the height and adapt the shape of the waves. This phenomenon, combined with the high pro-ductivity, creates an environment that provides refuge, food and nursery grounds to many species of the Atlantic Arc in the Banc d’Arguin. For example, it enables green turtles (an endangered species) to complete their migration from their nesting area in Guinea Bissau to the Banc d’Arguin.

The primary productivity of the Wadden Sea is only rivaled by the rainforests of the tropics. This productivity is due to primary producers such as diatoms, and exists due to nu-trients brought to the Wadden Sea by rivers and Atlantic waters.More than 6.1 million birds may be present in the Wadden Sea at the same time, whilst on average 10 to 12 million birds use the Wadden Sea each year on their migration routes from the northern breeding grounds to their win-tering areas in Europe, Africa and even further afield.Like the Banc d’Arguin, the Wadden Sea serves as a refuge and/or nursery for several fish species. Flatfish species, such as plaice and sole, spawn in the open North Sea. Once the offspring has reached adulthood, it moves into the shallow waters of the Wadden Sea.Important and characteristic features of the intertidal flats are mussel beds and, more recently, oyster beds, which host a significant variety of species and contribute to the sedimentation process. The Wadden Sea is also home to several species of marine mammals. During low tide, harbour and grey seals use the sandbanks to sleep. The sandbanks in the Wadden Sea are also the location where these animals give birth to their young. Harbour porpoises roam the deep channels of the Wadden Sea in search of food.

Management

The park has developed additional management tools to secure the conservation of its World Heritage. Its five-year management and development plans are submitted to the Advisory Committee, which is composed of representatives of various ministries. A management board will complete these tools in late 2016.Since 1999, maritime surveillance officers from the four main villages have been appointed. As a result, serious in-fringements of fishery regulations have considerably de-creased within the park boundaries.For years a scientific station at the heart of the park has been welcoming researchers. Visitor infrastructure in the area includes the Environmental Information Center in Chami, another such center in Cap Blanc close to Nouadhi-bou, and a Visitor House in Mamghar, in the south.

Management

The Wadden Sea is famous for its geomorphological and ecological processes, the natural and dynamic forces that can take place undisturbed, and for its high biodiversity. For almost 40 years, the three Wadden Sea states have been engaged in protecting the Wadden Sea as a single ecosys-tem. The Wadden Sea Plan defines targets for the ecologi-cal quality of the Wadden Sea.The Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Programme (TMAP) collect the necessary data to assess these targets and makes suggestions for the continuous improvement of management and monitoring.The Wadden Sea is also protected by national park regula-tions, Directives of the European Community, and require-ments under the Ramsar Convention. It is also protected as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). The World Her-itage status given in 2009 is a global acknowledgement of decades of successful protection of the Wadden Sea by residents, stakeholders, nature managers, governments and non-governmental organizations.

Border of the PNBAVillages of the PNBARoad Nouakchott-NouadhibouSea

Mud�ats and seagrass areasIIsles and islets of the PNBABorders of the Cap Blanc Satellite Reserve

0 10 20 Kilometers

Legend

Map of the Parc National du Banc d’Arguin (PNBA)

N

The Banc d´Arguin National Park (PNBA) in Mauritania was created in 1976. In 1982, it was inscribed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1989. The park includes 45% of land area and 55% of marine area. These large tidal flats probably constitute a relic from a for-mer river delta, as the underwater canyons seem to suggest.An upwelling process of deep waters occurs close to the con-tinental slope, resulting from the trade winds combined with the cold Canaries current. However these nutrient rich waters would not fertilize the Arguin Bay. The north-eastern winds carry Saharian sediments to-ward the ocean. This iron-containing sand contributes to the en-richment of the water and tidal flats. Arguin Bay is shaped by natural processes and forms a unique climate change observatory.

Banc d’Arguin World Heritage Wadden Sea World Heritage

The Wadden Sea is a vast coastal wetland comprising tidal flats, islands, salt marshes and other habitats, stretching over 450 km along the North Sea coast of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Covering an area of almost 11,500 km², it is one of the largest wetlands in the world. For almost 40 years, the Wadden Sea has been jointly protected and managed by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.In June 2009, the Dutch-German Wadden Sea was inscribed on the World Heritage List. In June 2014, the Danish Wadden Sea also became part of the site.

Fanø

Mandø

Rømø

Sylt

JuistNord

erney Sp

iekero

og

Wange

rooge

Föhr

Amrum

Texel

Terschelling AmelandSchiermonnikoog

Borkum

Vlieland

Pellworm

Süderoogsand

Nordstrand

Lange

oog

Neuwerk

Mellum

Helgoland

Baltrum

Trischen

Skallingen

Blåvandshuk

Hooge

Langli

LangeneßOland

Hamburger Hallig

Süderoog

Norderoogsand

Japsand

Scharhörn

Rottumerplaat

MeldorferBucht

Km0 10 20 30 40 50N

Km0 10 20 30 40 50

Den Helder

HarlingenLeeuwarden Groningen

DelfzijlEmden

Wilhelmshaven Bremerhaven

Cuxhaven

Heide

Tönning

Husum

Tønder

Ribe

Esbjerg DENMARK

GERMANYTHE NETHERLANDS

Brunsbüttel

Oldenburg

Bremen

Stade

Niedersachsen

Schleswig-Holstein

Varde

North Sea

The Wadden Sea

Rural area and Marsh

Offshore area

Lakes and Rivers

National Boundary

Salt Marsh

Dune, Beach and Sand

Peatland

Geest

Marsh

Dune, Beach and Sand

Estuary

Depth 10 - 20 m

Depth > 20 m

Depth < 10 m

Wadden Sea Area

Wadden Sea Area Mainland

Tidal area