A new danger is threatening wildlife in the seas of northern Europe. Huge machines are sucking up over three million cubic metres of sand and gravel every year from German waters in the North and Baltic Seas – destroying valuable habitats, nutrients and the nurseries of numerous species far outside the excavation areas.

A new excavation site has been proposed to the west of the island of Sylt, with the extraction of a further one million cubic metres of gravel taken by the year 2051. As a result of the removal of sand and gravel, the seabed will be reduced by a depth of 2.6 metres. Environmental organisations fear that the seabed will not recover from this over-exploitation and that the marine ecosystem will suffer badly.

Sand and gravel are desirable raw materials for coastal defences and for the building industry, especially now that easier sources from mainland reserves are coming to an end. This disruption to the seabed could have a dramatic effect on marine life such as sand eels, which are an important food source for many species of birds.

The new extraction area is currently a proposed protected area and has already been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) – Eastern German Bight. Large numbers of birds winter in the area including around 190,000 Common Scoters Melanitta nigra, and the site is also close to a Harbour Porpoise breeding ground.

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