The North Sea is no monotonous basin full of saltwater; it is a
very dynamic and sensitive System. The eco System comprises
the sea bed, the water and the air above it. There is life everywhere: The sea floor is populated by mussels, microbes, snails
and crabs including hermit crabs. One floor above, you can find
plankton in the water and many kinds of fish: sole, turbot, dab,
plaice and gurnard. Some prefer the depths and pick their food
off the sea bed such as the turbot while others stay in higher
areas below the water line. Some of the sea's inhabitants are solitary créatures while others appear in shoals.
And then there are jellyfish in many different colours and sizes;
marine mammals such as porpoises and seals - the latter usually near the coast - also call the sea their home. In addition, the
air above the water and the salty spray is an important habitat for
many resting and migratory birds. To put it briefly: the North Sea
is a complex, unigue eco-system that deserves protection.
Nevertheless, lawyers, administrators and even nature conservationists identify différences in the degree of protection which individual areas deserve within the overall North Sea complex, just
as they do on land. In the process, the protective status declared
in laws is often fixed in accordance with bare figures which quantify the density of a bird or mammal population or that of other
animais or plants that deserve protection, and which reveal their
significance for the particular population concerned. For example, the Wadden Sea off the coast of Denmark, Germany and the
Netherlands which is one of a kind in the whole world, has been
given the status of a national park by national législatures, and a
few years ago was even recognised as a world héritage site by the
United Nations [UN], Against this both national and international
protective backdrop, man's rights to utilise the eco-systems near
the coast and influenced by the tides are signifiesntly restricted.
But regardless of the sensitive coastline whose fascinating mud
and sand flats are laid bare at ebb tide, one thing is clear: human
intervention further out to sea, largely out of sight for Coastal
. int^bitants and holiday-makers, is not inconsiderable: in these
*ret)ions. oil and gas exploration but also gravel and sand extraction are regular occurrences; power cables, télécommunication
cables, gas and oil pipelines criss-cross the sea bed. There are
also numerous military training areas under, in and above the
water.
Last but not least, civil shipping can be observed everywhere:
océan giants, tankers, cargo and container vessels in the service
of a globalised economy line up in never-ending queues of traffic
along the main routes: above them hangs a greyish brown veil of
fumes rising incessantly from ships' funnels. In view of this concentration of large tonnage, the trawlers of the Coastal fishermen
as well as the boats and yachts of recreational skippers hâve only
a minor rôle to play.
Ail these activities hâve been joined by the wind power industry
in the eastern North Sea since the construction of the first offshore wind farm, Horns Rev, off the coast of Blâvandshuk north
of Esbjerg. The German chapter in the utilisation of wind power in
the North Sea did not begin until 2010 after the Danes, British,
Irish, Dutch and Belgians had ail brought their first offshore wind
farms to the starting line. The German offshore test field, alpha
ventus, joined the grid with an output of 60 mégawatts around
45 kilométrés north of the East Frisian island of Borkum. By contrast with neighbour Elenmark, the watchword in Germany from
the beginning was: if there is going to be wind power from the
sea, it must be far from the coasts so as not to impair the sensitive eco-systems of the Wadden Sea [North Sea] or the Bodden
landscapes [Baltic],
This demand from nature conservationists was allied by the fear
of the tourism sector and also many Coastal inhabitants that offshore wind farms built too close to dykes and sandbanks could
hâve a négative impact on the natural harmony and beauty of
the région. So yes to offshore wind power but it mustn't spoil the
sunset over the sea, please, railed many lovers of the island of
Sylt, for example.
76
very dynamic and sensitive System. The eco System comprises
the sea bed, the water and the air above it. There is life everywhere: The sea floor is populated by mussels, microbes, snails
and crabs including hermit crabs. One floor above, you can find
plankton in the water and many kinds of fish: sole, turbot, dab,
plaice and gurnard. Some prefer the depths and pick their food
off the sea bed such as the turbot while others stay in higher
areas below the water line. Some of the sea's inhabitants are solitary créatures while others appear in shoals.
And then there are jellyfish in many different colours and sizes;
marine mammals such as porpoises and seals - the latter usually near the coast - also call the sea their home. In addition, the
air above the water and the salty spray is an important habitat for
many resting and migratory birds. To put it briefly: the North Sea
is a complex, unigue eco-system that deserves protection.
Nevertheless, lawyers, administrators and even nature conservationists identify différences in the degree of protection which individual areas deserve within the overall North Sea complex, just
as they do on land. In the process, the protective status declared
in laws is often fixed in accordance with bare figures which quantify the density of a bird or mammal population or that of other
animais or plants that deserve protection, and which reveal their
significance for the particular population concerned. For example, the Wadden Sea off the coast of Denmark, Germany and the
Netherlands which is one of a kind in the whole world, has been
given the status of a national park by national législatures, and a
few years ago was even recognised as a world héritage site by the
United Nations [UN], Against this both national and international
protective backdrop, man's rights to utilise the eco-systems near
the coast and influenced by the tides are signifiesntly restricted.
But regardless of the sensitive coastline whose fascinating mud
and sand flats are laid bare at ebb tide, one thing is clear: human
intervention further out to sea, largely out of sight for Coastal
. int^bitants and holiday-makers, is not inconsiderable: in these
*ret)ions. oil and gas exploration but also gravel and sand extraction are regular occurrences; power cables, télécommunication
cables, gas and oil pipelines criss-cross the sea bed. There are
also numerous military training areas under, in and above the
water.
Last but not least, civil shipping can be observed everywhere:
océan giants, tankers, cargo and container vessels in the service
of a globalised economy line up in never-ending queues of traffic
along the main routes: above them hangs a greyish brown veil of
fumes rising incessantly from ships' funnels. In view of this concentration of large tonnage, the trawlers of the Coastal fishermen
as well as the boats and yachts of recreational skippers hâve only
a minor rôle to play.
Ail these activities hâve been joined by the wind power industry
in the eastern North Sea since the construction of the first offshore wind farm, Horns Rev, off the coast of Blâvandshuk north
of Esbjerg. The German chapter in the utilisation of wind power in
the North Sea did not begin until 2010 after the Danes, British,
Irish, Dutch and Belgians had ail brought their first offshore wind
farms to the starting line. The German offshore test field, alpha
ventus, joined the grid with an output of 60 mégawatts around
45 kilométrés north of the East Frisian island of Borkum. By contrast with neighbour Elenmark, the watchword in Germany from
the beginning was: if there is going to be wind power from the
sea, it must be far from the coasts so as not to impair the sensitive eco-systems of the Wadden Sea [North Sea] or the Bodden
landscapes [Baltic],
This demand from nature conservationists was allied by the fear
of the tourism sector and also many Coastal inhabitants that offshore wind farms built too close to dykes and sandbanks could
hâve a négative impact on the natural harmony and beauty of
the région. So yes to offshore wind power but it mustn't spoil the
sunset over the sea, please, railed many lovers of the island of
Sylt, for example.
76