A national park constitutes an area especially worthy of protection due to its region specific occurrence of animal and plant life. Human interference should be limited as much as possible, to allow a largely unaffected natural development. Care is taken to preserve local characteristics for future generations. The basic principle can be summed up as 'let nature be left to its own devices'. The main difference between a national park and nature reserve consists in the very limited, preferably nonexistent, human interference in natural processes. "The offshore wadden areas off Lower Saxony have been protected as a natural park since 1986. With the amendment of the national park law in July 2001, the protected area has been expanded to encompass approximately 280,000 h. This makes the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony the second largest national park in Germany".

Figure 1: Map of the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony

To ensure the highest possible protection and conservation of this unique natural site, the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony has been divided into 3 zones (see illustration above). This zonation concept (restricted, intermediate and recreational zone) makes the combination of tourism and nature conservation in this area possibel.

Restricted zone (Zone I): This zone constitutes the most sensitive areas within the national park. Zone 1 comprises 60.7% of the total park area and is subject to the strictest protection provisions. The restricted zone may only be entered on marked trails and walkways. Other area specific restrictions may apply. Information can be found on local information boards. Additionally all activities which will, or could cause harm to the national park or parts thereof are prohibited.

Intermediate zone (Zone II): This area has a slightly lower protection status than the restricted zone. It comprises 38.7% of the parks area. Generally the same rules apply as in the restricted zone. Exceptions to entering of areas outside of marked walkways and trails on foot are made, due to the less sensitive nature of the ecosystems protected within this area. Excluded are the salt marshes, during the brooding and chick rearing season in the time from April 1st to July 31st trespassing is not allowed. To avoid damage to the fragile vegetation horse riding, cycling and carriage-rides are only allowed along marked walkways and trails. With the exception of the salt marshes during the brooding season, recreational fishing is allowed in the intermediate zone. Seasonal and, or local exceptions may be in place, information about them can be found on local information boards.

Recreational zone (Zone III): In the recreational zone (0.6%), as its name implies, all activities that make 'going to the seaside' a great holiday are allowed: swimming, sojourning on the beach, building sand-castles, horseback riding, fishing, beach-combing and playing sports. However backcountry camping or driving motorized vehicles of any form as well as especially noisy activities are prohibited.

You can find information about specific local exceptions, or information regarding specific areas, like dog beaches and areas for kite flying at the local municipal and spa administration. For the protection of the local wildlife we ask to make sure that no activity will pose a threat or disturbance to bordering intermediate and restricted zones. This is especially important when windsurfing or kite flying, particularly when using stunt kites. To protect the delicate environment of the restricted zone and intermediate zone restrictions apply for both, recreational as well as other forms of land use (farming, fishing, hunting, sailing and other leisure activities).

Orientational markers: "How to find your way around"

General maps of the local area can be found on information panels along the walks and trails. You can also obtain flyers at the local national park information centers. The different zones (restricted, intermediate and recreational zone) are marked by signs (blue background with white writing, see picture below), these also contain information about specific local regulations.

Walks and trails are marked by painted posts:

Walks and hiking trails are marked in green
Horse riding trails are marked in red
Dune crossings are marked by large so called "summit crosses"