The largest part of Schiermonnikoog takes care of itself – the beaches, the salt marshes and the young dunes and all life forms that flourish there. In all these cases, management is unnecessary and would even be counterproductive. Leave it alone and enjoy the landscape is all we have to do.
The outstanding value of its nature is the reason Schiermonnikoog was made a National Park. The island and the surrounding sea are also part of the Natura 2000-areas. And the Wadden Sea is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The island is rich in all kinds of life communities and species, because of the many transitions between dry and wet, fresh, and salty, and nutrient rich and nutrient poor areas.
But humans influence the eco system on Schiermonnikoog as well. The dunes become rougher and get overgrown with trees and shrubs. This is not just a natural development. The overgrowing of the dunes is largely caused by a combination of the deposition of nitrogen compounds, the decline of the number of rabbits due to illnesses and the declining influence of salty sea winds. This process reinforces itself. Rabbits cannot survive in rougher terrain and the sea wind is blocked by it. The specific species which are distinctive for open dune landscapes have a hard time and disappear, as is the case in the rest of Europe.
Plants like catsfoot and musk orchid, and breeding birds like wheatear, short-eared owl and hen harrier are examples of this development. To stop this trend of disappearing characteristic dune species action is taken: trees and shrubs are being removed, sods are cut, goats, cattle and horses graze in the dunes and a number of valleys are mowed on a yearly basis. If we wouldn’t take measures like these, even more species of the open dunes would disappear.
We strive for a coastal nature reserve that ranks among the world’s highest value reserves when it comes to flora, fauna, and habitats. Especially with an eye on sorts that are characteristic for the coastal areas: mudflats, beaches, dunes (open dunes, dune valleys and dune forest) and salt marshes. To reach this goal we aim for system recovery, within the framework of the Kaderrichtlijn Water (KRW) and Natura 2000.
Ambitieplan Nationaal Park Schiermonnikoog 2024
In 2024 the consultative body (‘Overlegorgaan’) of the National Park has unanimously agreed with the new Ambitieplan. This outlines the future for the next ten years and offers a shared groundwork for keeping as well as strengthening the unique values of the island. The plan focuses not only on nature, but also on cultural history, landscape, and sustainable tourism.
The Ambitieplan also forms the basis of a new management plan. In National Park Schiermonnikoog, this management is done by Natuurmonumenten.