The trilateral monitoring and surveillance programme (TMAP) is the joint monitoring programme for the three Wadden Sea countries. The programme was launched in 1997 and spans across a wide range of topics, such as morphology, organic processes, wildlife and human activities. The programme covers the entire Wadden Sea area, including islands and areas on the open seas.

TMAP is carried out by national and regional authorities, who are responsible for the monitoring.

Within the Trilateral Wadden Sea partnership, the Monitoring working group is responsible for TMAP, supported by technical expert groups in fields such as birds, data processing, sand dunes, marshlands and seals. The Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) supports, facilitates and coordinates the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation (TWSC). 

In Denmark, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the National Monitoring Programme for the Aquatic Environment and Nature (NOVANA). The Danish Environmental Protection Agency is therefore responsible for monitoring inside the Wadden Sea. The agency uses a number of topic centres that provide academic programme consultancy, prepare and maintain technical instructions for data collection, organise the intercalibration of sampling and measurements in the field, ensure quality assurance and evaluation of monitoring data at national level, and draw up academic reports on the monitoring results. The topic centres also contribute to the development and implementation of new methods within the field of surveillance.

The Marine Topic Centre and the Topic Centre for Biodiversity and Terrestrial Nature are primarily responsible for the specific marine monitoring and monitoring of birds and marine mammals.

Both topic centres are under the auspices of the Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University.