The Global Nature Fund and the Living Lakes Network have named the Szczecin Lagoon on the Polish-German border as the “Threatened Lake of the Year 2024”. This breathtaking wetland in the heart of Europe suffers from a variety of threats. The Szczecin Lagoon in the Oder Delta is the first European wetland to be awarded the title.
The Oder gained Europe-wide notoriety in August 2022 when a mass fish kill made headlines. The entire course of the 840 km long river, which flows into the lagoon near Szczecin and finally into the Baltic Sea, was affected. The Szczecin Lagoon, part of the Oder Delta, covers an area of 70,000 hectares on both sides of the German-Polish border and plays a key role in the conservation of biodiversity in the southern Baltic Sea. It is one of the few ecologically largely untouched natural areas in Central Europe and a spawning ground for freshwater animals. As a strategic crossing point of the East Atlantic Flyway, the Oder Delta is of crucial importance for migratory birds and the blue heart of one of Europe’s first rewilding areas.
A pearl of nature in an adverse environment
The fish mortality of 2022 highlights a problem that existed long before: For decades, the Szczecin Lagoon has been threatened by the considerable pollution from the surrounding industrial plants and nutrient inputs from industrial and agricultural activities in the surrounding area and upstream, in addition to increasing stress due to climate change. In recent years, shipping traffic in the area has increased, both in terms of the volume of traffic and the size of the ships, putting even more pressure on the waters of the lagoon. To draw attention to the endangered state of this unique ecosystem in the heart of Europe, the international environmental foundation Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the global lake network Living Lakes, which it coordinates, are therefore awarding the Szczecin Lagoon the title of “Threatened Lake of the Year 2024” on World Wetlands Day today.
Conservationist and biologist Dr. Thomas Schaefer, who heads the Nature Conservation and Living Lakes departments at GNF, explains the choice: “The Oder Delta with the Szczecin Lagoon at its center is one of the few remnants of untouched wilderness in Europe. The Oder is one of the last rivers in Europe with an almost untouched riverbed and course. The catastrophe of summer 2022 with unforeseeable effects on biodiversity and the entire floodplain landscape system shows the vulnerability of our natural gems in an adverse environment. This must not happen again – not in the Oder Delta and nowhere else.”
The Oder Delta is therefore representative of the ecological status of water bodies in Europe. According to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), which has been in force since 2000, good ecological status should have been achieved by 2015 – which has not been met by any EU Member State. There are only four years left to meet the new deadline of December 31, 2027. With the nomination of a transboundary wetland in Europe, the GNF and the Living Lakes Network want to draw attention to the urgent need for action within the EU and call for the timely implementation of the WFD and other related laws.
Cross-border strategy needed for law enforcement and ecological restoration
In order to improve the ecological status of the Oder Delta and the lagoon waters in the short term, both Germany and Poland need to take immediate and comprehensive measures, according to the experts on the ground. Everything must be done to stop the current overloading of water ecosystems and to enable the regeneration of sensitive ecosystems. Implementation of national and European legislation must be ensured, in particular the EU Habitats Directive, the EU Water Framework Directive and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
An important step towards the sustainable protection and development of the Oder Delta is a long-awaited cross-border strategy between Germany and Poland for the natural regeneration of the Szczecin Lagoon. This connectivity is crucial for the revitalization of the lagoon as an important habitat for migratory fish such as sturgeon and vendace as well as for transitional biotopes as habitats for priority protected species under the EU Habitats Directive. No-fishing zones and a sturgeon action plan for Germany and Poland must accompany activities to restore fish stocks of important species such as the Atlantic salmon, Baltic sturgeon and eel. Another important measure is the strengthening of natural water retention in the floodplain. In this way, important ecosystem services such as water storage and natural filters can be restored. Natural flood protection is also being improved by the large-scale restoration of floodplains with alluvial forests and moorland areas.
“Threatened Lake of the Year” in Europe for the first time
Every year on World Wetlands Day, the GNF and the Living Lakes Network nominate the “Threatened Lake of the Year” to draw attention to the global threat to lakes and wetlands. The Szczecin Lagoon in the Oder Delta is the first European wetland to be awarded this title. Lake Titicaca was “Threatened Lake of the Year 2023”.
Contact us
Global Nature Fund
Dr. Thomas Schaefer
Head of Living Lakes & Nature Conservation
Fritz-Reichle-Ring 4
78315 Radolfzell
Phone: +49 7732 9995 85
E-mail: schaefer@globalnature.org