Außenems, Nature reserve in Lower Saxony, Germany

Außenems is a nature reserve spanning the municipalities of Emden, Krummhörn, and Bunde with wetlands and coastal landscapes. It forms a mosaic of water, marshland, and open areas where different animal and plant species live.

The area was placed under state protection in 2019 to preserve its natural habitats. This decision was part of a broader effort to secure coastal habitats in northern Germany.

The reserve's names come from the tidal landscape: Hund and Paapsand are the sandbanks and mussel beds in the Ems estuary, the Knockster Watt and Geise are tidal flats and a channel near Pogum. The area is also claimed by both Germany and the Netherlands, so it was designated in consultation with the Dutch, who filed their part of the Ems and Dollart as the FFH area "Eems-Dollard".

The reserve covers tidal water and mudflats from the Geise near Pogum to about three kilometres east of Eemshaven, including areas claimed by both Germany and the Netherlands. Access is from the mainland at Pogum, the Rysumer Nacken and the Knockster Bucht; the water and mudflat zones are not walkable. The site is managed by the Lower Saxony state agency for water management, coastal protection and nature conservation together with the Leer and Aurich districts.

The reserve includes areas claimed as state territory by both Germany and the Netherlands, so its designation was coordinated with the Dutch side, which registered its claimed parts of the Außenems and Dollart as the FFH area "Eems-Dollard". On Hund and Paapsand, large mussel beds and eelgrass grow on the sandbanks.