The Wadden Sea is well known for the large flocks of birds that visit the area during the annual migration to and from the Arctic. In recent years, there has been increased concern about these Arctic travellers due to the impact of changing climatic conditions in the Arctic.

The Wadden Sea was recognised with a dedicated session during the conference ECSA 58 - EMECS 13: Estuaries and coastal seas in the Anthropocene – Structure, functions, services and management which took place as an online event from September 6 to 9, 2021.

More than 100 dead harbour porpoises have washed up on the beaches of the Dutch Wadden Sea islands of Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog in the last week, as reported by the University of Utrecht.

Global cooperation for migratory bird conservation was the theme of this year's Wadden Sea Day, held at the Atlantic Hotel in Wilhelmshaven on Thursday 26th August, with a focus on the "Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative" (WSFI).

18-19 & 25-26 September, 2021 are the dates for the East Atlantic Flyway Youth Forum - an online event for young people to engage in conservation of wetlands and migratory waterbirds

The 2020-2021 counts show a steady increase in the number of grey seals in the Wadden Sea.

WG-Swimway and invited guests drafted a policy statement based on existing guidelines and regulations with a direct link to the Trilateral Fish Targets at European level and how these have been implemented per country and trying to analyse their contribution to the realization of these targets.

UNESCO released the first global scientific assessment of its World Heritage marine sites’ blue carbon ecosystems, highlighting the critical environmental value of these habitats.

On 16-17 February 2021, the second phase of an innovative rapid assessment, the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI), was conducted for the Wadden Sea World Heritage property.