Join us at the Crossborder North Sea Nature Days 2026

on 28 and 29 October

On behalf of the Dutch Nature Regeneration North Sea program in cooperation with the Cross Border Restoration Task Group under the Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) Working Track Nature and OSPAR Task S6.O1.T2, Best practice sharing and implementation of active habitat restoration measures, we are delighted to invite you to the first edition of the Crossborder North Sea Nature Days on 28 and 29 October.

 

Hosted at Natura ARTIS Magistra, the Royal Dutch Zoo in Amsterdam, the program brings together policy, research and practice:

  • An interactive afternoon plenary to open the event, followed by informal drinks and dinner. A closed GNSBI session will take place in the morning.

  • A choice of two separate morning sessions: one dedicated to OSPAR habitat restoration and one focused on the recovery of North Sea seabirds, followed by a joint plenary closing.

  • Participants register for one workshop and also enjoy all plenary sessions, including informal drinks and diner and a tour of the brand-new ARTIS Aquarium.

Index

Why this event matters
What you’ll take away
Registration
Where to check in at ARTIS
Day 1 – Plenary & evening program
Day 2 – Workshops & Closing reflection
Your two day program in one view
Practical information
About the organizers

Why this event matters

Our North Sea ecosystem needs strengthening. As policymakers, technical experts, marine biologists and nature advocates we all work on recovering its biodiversity. In doing so, it is easy to keep in our own lane. We focus on restoring different parts of the ecosystem, from oysters to seabirds. We work under different banners, from GNSBI, OSPAR to NGOs. We start with national projects. Therefore, we need to further strengthen our cross-border cooperation.

 

North Sea nature does not recognise borders, and lasting biodiversity recovery is only possible through joint cross‑border action. With this event we want to create an opportunity to bring together different workshops that can benefit from exchange of experiences and ideas to potentially see how to work more effectively together in future. We hope to make these days into a recurring annual event.

 

Please note
As this is the first edition, the program consists of three standalone workshops, each with its own organiser, focus and audience. What connects them is the shared ambition for nature restoration and the plenary sessions where all groups meet, including informal drinks and diner.

What you'll take away

Participants should leave ARTIS with:

  • Insights into how countries are learning to cooperate to scale restoration efforts – including how to address the regulatory, legislative and international funding challenges (GNSBI)

  • Insights into the European Commission’s perspective on strengthening regional cooperation in implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation

  • For both OSPAR habitats and North Sea seabirds:

    • A shared understanding of where countries, target species/habitats, measures, and project ambitions overlap and where there are gaps

    • A clearer view on where (and how?) countries could collaborate, and where NN could provide added value through coordination, support, funding, or project development

    • Practical lessons from existing restoration projects, including what worked, what did not work, and why

  • New contacts

Registration

The plenary program is available only when you have registered for a workshop. The GNSBI workshop is for Task Group members only. Please register for a workshop before October 1st, via:

If you have any dietary requirements or assistance needs, please let the relevant workshop lead know.

Where to check in at ARTIS

Day 1: Sessions are held at the Noordpaviljoen of Natura ARTIS Magistra, Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam. Click here to get your directions to ARTIS. To ARTIS – Bing Maps. Enter the Zoo at the main entrance (E in green on the map), take a direct right. The building in front of you is the Noordpaviljoen. Entrance and registration desk are around the corner. Follow the red line on the map.

 

Day 2: Morning sessions are held at the Studio of Natura ARTIS Magistra, Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam. Click here to get your directions to ARTIS. To ARTIS – Bing Maps. Enter the Zoo at the main entrance (E in green on the map), take a direct right. The building in front of you is the Noordpaviljoen. Entrance is around the corner. Follow the red line on the map.

 

The afternoon closing session wil take place in the Oostzaal of the Groote Museum. Follow the blue in on the map.

Day 1 – Plenary & evening program

Klik here for the extended program

 

09:00-14:00 GNSBI closed session (CEST time zone (UTC+1))
In the morning the GNSBI- Cross Border Restoration Task Group will hold a working session for developing their cross-border oyster restoration project proposal.

 

13:30-14:30 Guest arrival and registration

 

14:30-16:30 Opening and plenary session

Opening by Jeroen Vis– Program Manager Nature Regeneration North Sea. Jeroen will elaborate on the concept of annual Cross border North Sea Nature Days, the Dutch Nature Regeneration North Sea program and the ins and outs of building a public private partnership for the North Sea ecosystem.

 

Inspiration from the North Sea– underwater documentary filmmaker Klaudie Bartelink takes us through a selection of her most treasured underwater footage from award-winning documentary the Wild North Sea.

 

Keynote session by Maddalena Visser, policy advisor of the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission, presents the European Commission’s perspective on strengthening regional cooperation in implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation. Followed by shared discussion with the room.

 

17:00-18:00 Visit to ARTIS Aquarium

A guided tour of the Zoo’s recently renovated historical Aquarium (1882), hosting 250 species.

 

18:30-21:00 Drinks and diner

Hosted by Nature Regeneration North Sea. Room for informal discussions.

Day 2 – Workshops & Closing reflection

Klik here for the extended program

 

09:00-12:30 OSPAR Task S6.O1.T2  online workshop

(CEST time zone (UTC+1))

 

09:00-12:30  North Sea seabirds workshop (CEST time zone (UTC+1))

 

12:30-14:00    Walking lunch in the zoo

 

14:00-15:00    Plenary closing session
The workshop chairs give a recap of their sessions and share insights and lessons learned.

Your two day program in one view

Practical information

Costs
Participation in the event is free. Participants are responsible for their own travel to the venue.

 

 

Location venue
Natura ARTIS Magistra, Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam.
Click here to get your directions to ARTIS. To ARTIS – Bing Maps

 

 

Accessibility

  • From Schiphol Airport: 45 minutes by public transport or taxi.

Train to Amsterdam Central Station, transfer to tram 7 or 14, get out at ARTIS/Holocaustmuseum and walk 1 minute to ARTIS’ main entrance.

Taxi Taxicentrale Schiphol book online or call 31 85 065 3670

  • From Amsterdam Central Station: 17 minutes by public transport.

Take tram 7 or 14, get out at ARTIS/Holocaustmuseum and walk 1 minute to ARTIS’ main entrance.

 

 

Contact
If you have any questions on the organization of the event, please contact Nature Regeneration North Sea’s Ivo van Heck via ivo.vanheck@natuurversterkingnoordzee.nl
If you have any questions on the workshops, please contact

 

Hotels

Book a room with breakfast at the Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam Museum Quarter. This 3-star hotel is conveniently located just 16 minutes from ARTIS by tram and on foot. Adress: Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat 2, 1071 BX, Amsterdam.

Make your reservation before October 12 and benefit from a special event rate of €132,30 per room, per night, including breakfast and excluding Amsterdam city tax.

Please note the Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam Museum Quarter’s cancellation terms:

Join us October 28 and 29 at ARTIS!

About the organizers

Nature Regeneration North Sea
Your host, Nature Regeneration North Sea, is driven by the Dutch government in close collaboration with industry partners, NGOs and knowledge institutes, and is funded predominantly through Dutch government and EU funding. The program aims at improving the North Sea ecosystem while supporting the sustainable development of offshore activities, including the energy transition. Our ambition is to bend the curve from ecological decline towards long-term ecosystem recovery. The program focuses on three interconnected ecosystem components: sea birds, fish and benthic habitats.

 

GNSBI-CBRTG
The GNSBI Cross – border Restoration Task Group (CBR TG) has been established within the Working Track Nature whose mandate includes promoting joint efforts to restore marine and coastal ecosystems, as set out in the 2024 Antwerp Ministerial Declaration.  The Task Group brings together restoration experts nominated by GNSBI member countries, representatives from GNSBI observer organisations, and invited technical and scientific experts. It is led by Nature regeneration North Sea (Netherlands), Belgium, UK, with support from all other GNSBI countries. You can find out more about the task group and its objectives here.

 

OSPAR Task S6.O1.T2
The OSPAR Commission is the regional convention through which 16 governments and the European Union cooperate to protect and restore the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Through the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy (NEAES) 2030, OSPAR aims to halt biodiversity loss, reduce pollution, and strengthen ecosystem resilience. Strategic Objective 6 specifically focuses on restoring degraded marine habitats where feasible to safeguard ecosystem functioning and resilience to climate change.

Task S6.O1.T2, ‘Best practice sharing and implementation of active habitat restoration measures’ contributes to this objective by developing a shared knowledge base on effective restoration approaches. Supported by the Nature Regeneration North Sea program, the task brings together scientific evidence, restoration case studies, and practitioner experience to produce practical guidance for active restoration of habitats such as kelp forests, seagrass meadows, biogenic reefs, and saltmarshes and mudflats. The guidance focuses on key phases of restoration: site selection, design and implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge sharing.