To mitigate the effects of the triple ecological crisis of climate change, rapid human-induced changes in biodiversity, and pollution on the Wadden Sea ecosystems, the analysis of recent and development of future management pathways is necessary.
The transdisciplinary project PaRCA is a joint initiative of Dutch, German, and Danish experts from universities, research organisations, and relevant authorities to analyse pathways for realising climate adaptation of the Wadden Sea. It is assumed that without any measures tidal flats will drown in the future. In a living lab concept the project focusses on interventions that actively support the adaptation of tidal flats and barrier systems to sea level rise. Measures to support tidal flat growth, spanning from indirect and direct nourishments to managed retreat will be assessed. The project analyses the law and governance of adaptation pathways in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark and focuses on the physical, sedimentological, and ecological effects of measures for representatively chosen sites. The project proposal has been co-developed with a large consortium of stakeholders of environmental NGOs, national parks, and coastal and waterways management institutions.
The project opens to other initiatives in an adaptive concept, thus allowing optimisation and support of other consortia. For this reason, at this stage individual exemplary living labs are suggested and integrated in an overarching discussion and modelling framework of the full Wadden Sea. We present connections between them and aim to act as a connector to other living labs or future regions of interest.
