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We have more than a passing acquaintance with the sea, and know a good deal about its inhabitants. When a species is rare or threatened – like the Harbour porpoise – it has a habit of capturing the public eye. The mysteries of this underwater world and its fascinating communities of living organisms are endlessly awe-inspiring. For some years now, scientists from renowned institutes of marine research have been studying the species and habitats of the North Sea and the Baltic, and reporting to the German Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Many of the highly endangered species are known to occur in concentrations of international importance in German marine waters. Their very survival is dependent on the special animal and plant communities which are only associated with sandbanks, mussel banks and rocky reefs. What the research findings make strikingly clear is that Germany has a special responsibility for these threatened refugia. By designating the marine areas presented here for nature conservation, we are making an important contribution to the marine element of the European network of protected sites, NATURA 2000.