Schiermonnikoog National Park

Schiermonnikoog National Park
Coordinates: 53 ° 29 ′ 0 ″  N , 6 ° 12 ′ 0 ″  E
Location:	Friesland , Netherlands
Next city:	Schiermonnikoog
Surface:	approx. 5,400 ha
Founding:	July 19, 1989
Visitors:	approx. 275,000
Address:	Torenstreek 20 NL-9166 LK Schiermonnikoog
National park map

The Schiermonnikoog National Park is a nature reserve in the Dutch province of Friesland . Officially established in 1989, the park covers most of the area of ​​the Wadden Sea Island of the same name .

geography

The national park includes the areas of the open North Sea in the north and the Wadden Sea in the south bordering the island of Schiermonnikoog , which falls dry at low tide . Most of the island area is also part of the park, only the village of Schiermonnikoog itself and some other areas such as part of the dunes north of the village, the nearby campsite and the Bancks polder are excluded from the park area. Three sub-areas of the national park, the so-called Duinen Schiermonnikoog , the coastal zone of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, are also designated as part of the European nature conservation network Natura 2000 . The Wadden Sea around the island is also one of the Dutch World Heritage Sites . In total, the park reaches a total size of about 5400 hectares and is, according to the shape of the island, elongated in an east-west direction. The extension in this direction is about 18 kilometers on average, whereas in the north-south direction it is only 3.5 kilometers on average.

The terrestrial part of the park offers a varied landscape with constantly changing dunes , beach sections, island forests and Schorren .

history

In 1989, the Schiermonnikoog National Park was the first nature area in the Netherlands to receive official national park status from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality . The two older Dutch parks - Veluwezoom (built in 1930) and De Hoge Veluwe (built in 1935) - were founded by other institutions, such as the participating municipalities or various nature conservation associations.

Flora and fauna

Landscape of the national park

The Schiermonnikoog National Park is home to the types of vegetation typical of the Wadden Islands, which are mainly formed from plants that can cope with the increased salinity of the island's water and the mostly prevailing strong winds. In spring, for example, flowering species such as the dog violet and the English thistle are particularly noticeable. In summer, the Schorren are optically dominated by the common sea lavender. Plants such as centaury , swamp heart leaf and horn clover bloom in the dunes during the summer months .

The island forests on Schiermonnikoog, which consist of both coniferous and deciduous trees, are unusual . These forests were planted around 1915 by Count von Bernstorff , the former owner of the island. In addition to reducing sand drifts , the reason for the planting was primarily the sale of the felled wood, which however quickly turned out to be unprofitable. The targeted deforestation with the intention of selling was therefore stopped in 1935 and the forests were largely left to their own devices. In 1972 and 1973, storms caused severe damage to many trees. Today, coniferous trees predominate, the national park's administrative plan provides for more coniferous trees to be replaced by deciduous trees in the coming years and for a mixed forest to be created. The main reason for this is the lower demand for water that many deciduous trees have compared to conifers.

Like the other West Frisian islands, Schiermonnikoog is an important breeding area for various bird species, so more than 300 different species have already been identified here. On the Schorren are during the breeding season especially silver and black-backed gulls represented by thousands. Other widely represented species are the spoonbill , common tern , marsh harrier and short-eared owl . The Watt sections in front of the island in the summer especially of species such as the red knot , the bar-tailed godwit , the gray plover or the greenshanks used for foraging. During the autumn and winter months, on the other hand, migrating species such as red thrush , waxwing , peregrine falcon or brent goose and shelduck can be found on the island . Since 1991, a ringing station has been operated by the Schiermonnikoog Bird Ring Station Foundation to record bird populations and to track migratory routes . Several times a year, so-called “fog nets” are set up in various biotopes on the island, with which the birds can be safely caught. These are then ringed and scientifically recorded in the station.

The mammals are only represented by a few species on the island. Wild rabbits and brown hares can be found on land , while seals can be seen in the sea and on the beaches . The invertebrates are significantly more species-rich, so large numbers of crabs , mussels and lugworms can be found on the beach and in the mud flats .

administration

The main person responsible for the administration of the national park is the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten , a non-profit organization based in the municipality of Wijdemeren . She is supported by the Dutch hydraulic engineering authority Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Schiermonnikoog. The Vereniging operates, among other things, a visitor center in the island's village and offers guided tours in the national park. In addition, controls are carried out to ensure that the island's birds are not disturbed during the breeding season. The national park has around 275,000 visitors annually.

Web links

Commons : Schiermonnikoog National Park  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the national park

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jan Meijer, Gabriël Vriens, Evert Jan Lammerts: Natura 2000-beheerplan Schiermonnikoog. In: bij12.nl. June 2016, accessed September 24, 2018 (Dutch). 
2. ↑ Waddenzee. In: werelderfgoed.nl. Stichting Werelderfgoed in Nederland, accessed November 8, 2018 (Dutch). 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} National Park in Cijfers. In: schiermonnikoog.info. Retrieved November 14, 2018 (Dutch). 
4. ↑ Ontstaansgeschiedenis, feiten en ontwikkelingen Nederlandse National Parks 1975-2006. In: nationaalpark.nl. Samenwerkingsverband Nationale Parken, March 2007, accessed on November 14, 2018 (Dutch).  (PDF)
5. ↑ ^{a b} Flora en Fauna. In: schierweb.nl. Retrieved November 12, 2018 (Dutch). 
6. ^ Bossen op Schiermonnikoog. In: waddenzeeschool.nl. Retrieved November 14, 2018 (Dutch). 
7. ↑ Dieren Schiermonnikoog. In: vvvschiermonnikoog.nl. Retrieved November 8, 2018 (Dutch). 
8. ↑ Guarding. In: vvvschiermonnikoog.de. VVV Schiermonnikoog, accessed on November 12, 2018 .