The Wadden Sea area is of international importance for birds and is at the same time densely populated and vulnerable to elevated water levels due to climate change. The main purpose of the LIFE Wadden Sea Birds project is to improve the birds' habitats in the Danish and German Wadden Sea areas. Population monitoring shows that the number and conservation status of several bird species is not good. The efforts are aimed at two Natura 2000 sites in the Wadden Sea region and focus on waders and meadow birds. The efforts are sought to be implemented with a multifunctional approach, so that the conservation of bird habitats is combined with the storage of rainwater to reduce flood risk.
Work is being done on 2 project areas within the following Natura 2000 areas:
SPA DK009X060 Vidåen, Tøndermarsken and Saltvandssøen (area 1)
SPA DE0916491 Ramsar site SH Wadden Sea and adjacent coastal areas (area 2)
Tønder Municipality, Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig Holstein, National Park Wadden Sea, The Danish Nature Fund, Nature Agency Wadden Sea.
The project period is from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2026.
The project's total finances are approx. € 9,3 million. The EU contributes 60% and the rest is borne by the parties with grants from the 15 June Fund.