PROWAD Link project concluded at the 14th Trilateral Governmental Conference
Every four years, the Danish, Dutch, and German ministers responsible for Wadden Sea affairs meet to the Trilateral Governmental Conference (TGC) to discuss the general direction of the Cooperation in terms of policies and management and chart the overall course of the Cooperation for the period up to the next TGC. At the conference, the project partners of PROWAD Link organised its final event within the project period, which ends on 31 December 2022.
Within PROWAD Link, 15 organisations from the Wadden Sea World Heritage area, the Wash/ North Norfolk Coast, and Geiranger Fjord World Heritage partnered up within the Interreg VB project “PROWAD Link” to work towards engaging local stakeholders in nature protection. The goal: creating a nature-business-benefit-cycle, in which stakeholders gains advantages through the nature area brand and give back to nature protection through their sustainable entrepreneurship.
During a side event on 28 November 2022, the results were showcased, and future cooperation and networking discussed in a side event. At a buffet dinner in the evening, the results of four years of collaboration within the project were briefly presented to and honoured by 160 guests. During the entire 3-day conference, the PROWAD Link information stand in the conference lobby provided opportunities for the overall over 250 conference participants to interact with the project.
PROWAD Link was also involved in initiatives presented in the framework of the Partnership Hub, such as the signing of national park partnership and ambassadors programmes in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands to the Hub and the presentation and signing of the Trilateral Dark Sky Vision. Furthermore, a Joint Statement for “Sustainable Shipping and Ports Initiative for a well-protected Wadden” of the was signed by ports, NGOs, and ship owners.
“The Partnership Hub is one of the main results which will be continued after the end of PROWAD Link. It is safe to say that PROWAD Link will not be out of everyone’s minds come 31 December”, says Harald Marencic, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat and lead project manager. “Since 2018, we have also continued with the World Heritage Brand activation, developed tools to enhance sustainable entrepreneurship and communication with locals, conducted a number of surveys amongst visitors and inhabitants on their needs, co-created new products, established an online exchange platform, and much more. All these will be used, implemented, and further developed in the coming years in the framework of the Partnership Hub. With that, PROWAD Link has laid an excellent foundation to engage even more partners in the protection of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site in the coming years.”