Book Launch: Crossing Borders, Blending Perspectives gives voice to local communities in the Wadden area

What if we viewed a landscape not as a line on a map, but as a living narrative - a story told, shaped and sustained by many voices? This question took center stage at the book launch of Crossing Borders, Blending Perspectives, which was held simultaneously in Groningen, Wilhelmshaven and Bredebro on June 6, 2025. 

The book was written by researchers from universities in the Wadden Sea region, including the University of Groningen, and offers a transdisciplinary perspective on the Wadden Sea region, shaped through a journey along the coast by international researchers and conversations with local stakeholders. The book touches upon topics of rural livability, sustainable tourism, nature conservation, coastal management, climate change adaptation, and offers insights into interactive transdisciplinary teaching perspectives. In light of the consequences of gas extraction, increasing tourism pressures, and climate adaptation challenges, this book offers a timely perspective on one of Europe’s most ecologically and culturally significant coastal regions.

Crossing Borders, Blending Perspectives emerged from the TriWadWalk project, a two-part journey undertaken in 2022. Over ten days and more than 570 kilometers, a group of university lecturers and students from six universities in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands travelled the Wadden Sea region. Along the way, they engaged with local stakeholders, learning from the landscape.

The book is unique in its ability to bring together diverse voices. Rather than treating the Wadden Sea as a single, homogenous ecosystem, the book celebrates its diversity—of landscapes, governance practices, and human-nature relationships. Crossing Borders, Blending Perspectives illustrates what can be achieved through transdisciplinary cooperation. It is the product of years of cross-university collaboration and a shared commitment to bridging education, research, and practice. 

Most importantly, it gives voice to those often overlooked in the conservation and governance dialogue: students, citizens, local stakeholders and communities, whose knowledge and lived realities are essential to shaping the future of the region. As one example, young people in the Wadden hinterlands speak of a deep sense of belonging to the landscape, but also of frustrations tied to limited access to services and opportunities. Their stories highlight the need to reimagine regional development through the lens of cultural identity and quality of life — key factors in keeping younger generations rooted in the area. The book features many such local perspectives, each shedding light on how sustainability is lived, questioned, and reimagined on a daily basis.

The book launch on June 6 mirrored the book’s spirit: international, inclusive, and rooted in shared experiences. The launch featured an opening speech by Janne Liburd (Syddansk Universitet), talks by Elen-Maarja Trell (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Frans Sijtsma (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Cormac Walsh (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg), Ingo Mose (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) and a ceremonial book handover across three countries to Heleen van Londen, Sascha Klöpper, Jürgen Rahmel, Peter Saabye Simonsen and Simon Møberg Torp, each playing key roles in the Wadden Sea region.

The launch was a joint effort by the Rudolf Agricola School For Sustainable Development (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Syddansk Universitet and Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg.

A celebratory book unboxing, toast, and group photo across all venues marked a key milestone of this international collaboration. 

The book is published by the University of Groningen Press (UGP) as the first in the book series of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development, and as of 6 June 2025 is available for purchase on Bol, Amazon, Uitgeverij Kleine Uil and in bookstores across the Netherlands (order on demand only).

The pdf version of the book can be downloaded free of charge on the University of Groningen Press website.

More about the TriWadWalk project can be found on the website of the Rudolf Agricola School.