10 years of Wadden and North Sea protection: evaluation and perspectives

Abstract

“Protection” is here considered as being political action (legislation) designed to ensure that human activities do not harm the North and Wadden Seas. The state of these seas has now been on the political agenda for just over 10 years. During that time, the focus of concern has shifted considerably. In the mid-1980s, the emphasis was on quantification of contaminant inputs/concentrations and their potential effects for both humans and marine wildlife. Now, in the mid-1990s, there is a greater public and political appreciation of the North and Wadden Seas as intricate ecosystems and the ALL human activities — not just contaminant inputs — have the potential to alter the structure and functioning of these ecosystems. Frustratingly little progress has been made in the last decade in terms of achieving a quantitative understanding of the effects of contaminants on the marine ecosystem. Nevertheless, it was during this period that the effect of TBT on Dogwhelks in the North Sea as a whole and the potential influence of PCBs on seal reproduction in the Wadden Sea were recognised. Somewhat more progress has been made in the understanding of eutrophication related changes in the marine ecosystem during this period. With respect to changes in ecosystem structure caused by fishing activities, the focus is still on changes occurring at the level of macrofauna. It is predicted here that the coming years will see the development of an interest in how changes at the top of the food web influence microflora and fauna. The recognition of the North and Wadden Seas as ecosystems potentially sensitive to all human activities creates a major challenge with respect to the design of monitoring programmes. In principle, every compartment of the ecosystem is a potential target for monitoring studies. However, the cost implications of monitoring all components of the ecosystem are enormous. Furthermore, the channelling of resources into monitoring may reduce the funds available for basic research which can lead to a better understanding of the ecosystem processes. Thus, great care must be taken to ensure that monitoring programmes are well focussed and cost-effective.