In 2025, a movement has begun to emerge around an often-forgotten underwater land: the Dogger Bank, a shallow sandbank of over 25,000 km² in the middle of the North Sea; an area almost the size of Belgium. Both above and below the waves, you’ll find its riches: sharks, rays, cod, herring, whales, and birds. However, its ecology has been severely damaged.
Dogger Bank Coalition Inaugural Meeting
On September 24, 2025, the Dogger Bank Coalition celebrated the launch of the Rewilding Dogger Bank Programme, a partnership between The Embassy of the North Sea (NL), ARK Rewilding (NL), Blue Marine Foundation (UK), BUND (DL), Stichting Doggerland (NL), and WWF (DK) aimed to create a healthy and resilient Dogger Bank. We will achieve this through reef restoration, legal action, research, imagination, and a broad public discussion about the possible and desirable futures of the North Sea.
Declaration of Formation
We, members of the coalition, invite everyone to read and sign the Declaration of Formation of the Dogger Bank Coalition. This declaration is partly based on the manifest Making Room for the Dogger Bank written by the Embassy of the North Sea and the Doggerland Foundation, in which we describe how better representation of the North Sea can be achieved in the public, political, and legal spheres.
Read our manifest here
What does your signature mean?
By signing this declaration, you personally and/or on behalf of an organization support (part of) the principles and objectives of the Dogger Bank Coalition. With growing support and broad support, a different future for the Dogger Bank can become a reality.
The Four Statements
- Worldview: Dogger Bank belongs to itself
Introduction
The Dogger Bank symbolizes our relationship with the sea: we don’t just use it, we exhaust it. The dominant Western worldview views “nature” as something separate from humans, as a resource. This fundamental attitude is reflected in existing North Sea policy and stands in the way of a vibrant and resilient Dogger Bank. Only when we challenge the destructive aspects of our worldview will significant recovery of life be possible. Through multidisciplinary research within the School of Dogger Bank and public campaigns, we are creating space for a worldview in which the Dogger Bank is its own and participates independently in political negotiations.
Statement
I endorse the importance of imagining and exploring a world in which the North Sea and the Dogger Bank are seen as their own, as living systems with intrinsic value and the right to effective representation.
- More North Sea Democracy
Introduction
Current North Sea policy lacks the participation of a vibrant civil society, democratic debate, vision, and ecological ambition. The North Sea is being parceled out as if it were a large industrial area. North Sea policy is human-centric, and the technocratic approach is dominant. The danger of too much technocracy lies in the lack of democracy. Issues are viewed as manageable problems. They become the concern of a small group of experts and stakeholders, rather than the broader public (North Sea) community.
Statement
I endorse the importance of greater democracy in North Sea politics and policy. More countervailing power and a stronger stance are needed, ensuring that the voices and interests of minorities and future generations are heard and represented.
- Guarding the Red Line
Introduction
The Dogger Bank, a nursery and important feeding area, has long been protected on paper as a Natura 2000 area. In reality, the underwater world is barely protected, if at all, and all sorts of harmful activities are permitted to continue. The Dogger Bank is in poor condition, even compared to the “shifted baseline.” Nature restoration targets were established based on an already severely degraded ecosystem. Even the unambitious targets intended to maintain the ecological minimum are not being met. Therefore, legal proceedings are now underway to compel the government to comply with its own laws and regulations and to implement at least the most basic protective measures in protected marine areas like the Dogger Bank.
Statement
I agree that the Dutch government must adhere to its own laws and regulations for the protection and restoration of North Sea ecosystems, such as the Dogger Bank.
- Restoration
Introduction
The coalition is launching a large-scale restoration program, ” Rewilding Dogger Bank Seascape .” By introducing shellfish like horse mussels, new reefs can develop. These reefs are part of the restoration of a healthy seabed and rich biodiversity on the Dogger Bank.
Statement
I express my support for the rewilding initiative to restore reefs on the Dogger Bank.
Photo’s: Dirk Kome
