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The National Park Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea which was established in 1985, borders the northwest coastline of Germany. It belongs to the largest marine protected areas in Europe and is part of unique natural wetlands of global ecological importance. It also hosts natural resources which are of central economical importance for the regional coastal zone.
The National Park Office is in charge of the overall management of the 4420 km2 area. The tasks of the Regional Office are derived from the State law on the protection of the Park, especially from the goal of protecting the flora and fauna and the natural beauty of the landscape. Most important are:
- To draw up and implement concepts for protection, welfare and development measures to achieve the aims of nature protection, on a scientific basis;
- To ensure that the protection goals of the National Park are considered during environmental and impact planning;
- To co-ordinate the activities of other State authorities in the National Park, which includes ensuring that regulations are adhered to;
- To maintain an information service, including information centers and printed materials for visitors and for educational purposes;
- To co-ordinate monitoring and research work as the basis for the further development of the National Park.
Since 1995, the National Park Office is charged with coordinating the Schleswig-Holstein part of the Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Program (TMAP), which is a harmonized, joint monitoring effort in the Danish, Dutch and German Wadden Sea established in 1995. The TMAP is an integral tool of the Trilateral Governmental Conferences held at regular intervals for the management of the largest wetland area in central Europe.
Since 1998, the National Park Office accommodates the Regional Data Base for the monitoring and research data of the TMAP in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. This data base is progressively completed by further topics which are incorporated into the Trilateral Guidelines of the TMAP. One of the most significant thematic gaps in the TMAP is the sediment chemistry and the associated biogeochemical processes (see the respective TMAP Expert Workshop report, Marencic et al., 1996).
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