Every year, new non-native species are recorded in the Wadden Sea. Although governance approaches for managing these species are still evolving, local stakeholders—including fishers, recreational users, and coastal residents—can play an important role in monitoring species occurrences, assessing their impacts, and supporting management efforts.

In the iSeal2 project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), scientists from seven different research institutions investigate the impact of climate change, fisheries and the settlement of invasive species on the Wadden Sea ecosystem. During the first phase of the project, Dr. Diana Giebels, in collaboration with the project stakeholders, identified a critical knowledge gap: there is currently limited understanding of how local users and citizens perceive early warning and rapid response measures for invasive species, as well as their willingness to participate in future monitoring and management initiatives. The latter could become a critical factor in limiting ecological damage if additional invasive species become established in the Wadden Sea alongside the already established Pacific oyster, with ecological impacts comparable to those of red foxes or the cane toad in Australia.

To address this knowledge gap, her research team at the iSeal project is conducting a survey to examine how people are connected to the Wadden Sea, their awareness of invasive species, and their views on potential management measures. The survey also investigates the factors that influence people's willingness to engage in responses to non-native and invasive species. In addition, it uses interactive mapping to explore the social values people associate with the Wadden Sea and how these values shape their attitudes towards the management of non-native species, as well as their willingness to participate in nature conservation efforts.

The findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of public perspectives and help inform the development of effective, socially supported policies for managing invasive species in the Wadden Sea.

The survey is now open and can be accessed via the link below. In addition, our research team is conducting street interviews along the German Wadden Sea coast throughout the summer of 2026. As of early July, the survey has already reached the benchmark of 200 responses. However, broader participation is still needed to capture the full diversity of local perspectives.

We invite anyone who lives, works, or regularly spends time along the German Wadden Sea coast and is at least 18 years of age to participate. If you, or someone in your network, meets these criteria, we would greatly appreciate your participation and support in sharing the survey with others.

Survey link: https://www.partimap.eu/en/p/waddensea2026

Participation is anonymous and takes approximately 10–20 minutes.

Thank you for helping us improve our understanding of invasive species management in the Wadden Sea.