Delegation from Laos and Vietnam visits Wadden Sea for lessons on transboundary collaboration

On 5 and 6 September 2024, the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation welcomed a delegation from Laos and Vietnam, who wanted to learn about various aspects of working together for a transboundary World Heritage Site. Representing the provinces along the central Laos-Vietnamese border, the delegates are involved in the nomination process of the extension towards a transboundary property of Hin Nam No National Park (Laos) and the already listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and World Heritage Site (Vietnam). The future joint site features one of the largest remaining contiguous forest blocks and unique geological formations, among them the largest cave in the world discovered in 2009.

In Wilhelmshaven, the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) gave insights into shared management and monitoring, participatory approaches, sustainable tourism, and branding. “As member of the World Heritage community, we understand accommodating fellow site managers from abroad is our obligation and honour”, says Sascha Klöpper, CWSS Executive Secretary. “We also get to learn about the visiting sites, the different challenges and opportunities people beyond the Wadden Sea identify and pursue. On top of this, these exchanges are also a great opportunity of self-reflection as cooperation: What are our achievements, what challenges did we overcome, what challenges lie ahead?”

CWSS founder Jens Enemark accompanied the group to the East Frisian Island of Spiekeroog to share some experiences on the early days of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation and the World Heritage nomination process. The study visit was organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.