Ship's Log Summer School Sustainable Landscapes - The Wadden experience 2024

The Rudolf Agricola School offers various annual summer schools focused on enhancing students' knowledge of sustainable development. One such program is Sustainable Landscapes - The Wadden Experience, a five-day sailing trip organized by Wander Jager. It combines lectures from leading experts with hands-on exploration of themes like cultural heritage, coastal tourism, landscape stewardship, regional food production, and sustainable entrepreneurship. The following logbook from this year's trip provides a glimpse of what the program has to offer.

On Monday August 26 we hoisted the sails of the Willem Jacob, and our skipper Tsjerk and  shipmate Magchiel set course to Terschelling, the first island to visit. A firm breeze with a  squall brought us the last drops of rain, and the rest of the week we had wonderful weather

On Terschelling we made a walk through the village with its century’s old lighthouse, the  “Brandaris”, and observed and discussed the impact of the new water management on the  island. Following that, we enjoyed a great dinner prepared by Meta. 

Tuesday we kicked of with a morning lecture, reflecting on the history of the Netherlands  regarding land and water management, and changes of perspectives from protecting against  the forces of nature towards working together with nature. The last ice-age was our starting  point, reflecting on climate change and the emergence of the North Sea and the islands. 

Following the lecture, we made a cycling tour over the island. On the remains of the Atlantik  Wall we discussed the mistakes being made in science, and the importance of critical thinking  in complex socio-ecological systems, and modesty regarding our knowledge of them. 

We continued with our cycling tour, visiting a historical marshland where people caught  sediment from the sea in the traditional way, thus growing new land. This man-made area is  very attractive for birds, and a fundamental discussion arose on humanities role and  responsibility as eco-system engineers. After a great swim in the North Sea we cycled back to  the ship, passing by several projects aimed at supporting nature. 

Wednesday we left early to set the ship dry and have a walk on the seafloor. 

During the walk on the seafloor, we observed and discussed the complexities of the  ecosystem of the Waddensea, and how life adjusts in continuously changing circumstances.

While waiting for the tide we had a lecture on socio-ecological complexity, and when we were  floating again, we set sail for Ameland. 

When sailing to Ameland, we passed a sand bank where a group of seals was hanging out,  always a very special moment to meet these beautiful animals. 

Thursday we had a morning lecture going deeper into the principles of complexity in socio ecological systems, addressing cascading effects, tipping-points and agent based models of  transitional dynamics. Following that we made a cycling tour where we encountered the  whaling history of the island, a school that uses local wood and solar panels for producing  energy, and of course we had a nice swim in the North Sea. At four in the afternoon, we set  sail for our last island, Schiermonnikoog, where we arrived in the evening. Here we had a  discussion on the ecological impacts of windfarms on the North Sea, which are larger than we  often are aware of, as we are creatures of the land. Yet a long-term perspective is needed in  reflecting on the multiple consequences of building large wind farms in ecosystems at sea.

Here we had a nice drink at the historical Hotel van der Werff, and the night was closed  traditionally in the famous Tox bar. 

Friday we had a long walk on Schiermonnikoog, where we could see how the landscape had  developed since it was inhabited by monks (Schiermonnikoog translates as the isle of the grey  monks). As we had a class on the socio-ecological dynamics of Schiermonnikoog by Daniela  and Daniella, we could now actually see that the farmers changed their practices by having  fewer cows of a different breed that could graze on more natural grass that was not  depending on artificial (oil produced) fertilizer. And by producing their own cheese, a serious  reduction in live-stock did not really affect their income, which makes it an interesting  business case. Lastly, we visited the “Tuin naast de Branding”, where Janneke showed us how  she successfully started a small-scale vegetable farm, that is contributing to producing healthy  and tasty food, connecting with the community on the island. After having had discussions  throughout the week on the negative impacts of the bio-industry on the life of pigs and  emissions, meeting the cheerful pigs on Janneke’s farm gave us a good experience of how to  emotionally connect with nature and practice kindness in our interactions with other species. 

We closed the week with relaxed sailing towards Lauwersoog, on the way saying goodbye to  another group of seals that were enjoying the sun on a sandbank. During the week, we  learned and experienced that socio-ecological systems can display complex dynamics and  cascading effects, and that good intentions do not suffice in developing policy. A profound  understanding of the possible dynamics, and a careful monitoring of effects are needed to  avoid situations where good intentions cause damage of nature. And ultimately, love for  nature is essential to connect and be a part of nature instead of seeing it just as a resource to  exploit. 

We are looking forward to a next edition!