Protecting a trilateral coastal ecosystem: The Wadden Sea

Coasts offer multiple advantages when topical combinations for optimal use are foreseen. The Dutch-German-Danish Wadden Sea region has been transformed on its landward half into drained arable land. This has been protected by seawalls against storm surges which frequently ravage this coast. The other half remained a dynamic seascape with the largest coherent tidal flats in the world. This had been perceived as a drenched wasteland with treacherous shallows for long but is now proudly regarded as a universally outstanding coastal wetland, listed as a World Heritage Site since 2009. Faced with accelerating sea level rise, a change in coastal adaptation is advocated. The prevailing fortress strategy should give way to living with more water and more natural areas, growing with and buffering against sea level rise. Such areas could also provide relaxation from stressful urban life, and tourism would develop into the main economy at modern coasts