Fuencaliente salt flats
The Saline Fuencaliente is the last active-operated Saline of the islands of La Gomera , Tenerife , La Palma and El Hierro comprehensive Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife . It is located in the Fuencaliente de La Palma region on the southern tip of La Palma, right next to the Faro de Fuencaliente lighthouse , and covers an area of approx. 35,000 m². The underground of the pools consists of fine clay, the boundaries of lava rock. This type of construction is also called "Salina nueva de barro con forra de piedra" or the Lanzarote type . This design makes the pools easy to maintain. The saltworks is operated by the third generation of the family company Salinas Marinas de Fuencaliente SL .
history
The saltworks was founded in 1967 by Don Fernando Hernandez, who, against all advice from other saltworks operators in the Canary Islands, dared to undertake the project. He was supported by the experienced saltworks master Don Luis Rodriguez. In 1971 the saltworks had to stop working for more than a year. The reason was the eruption of the Teneguía volcano , which lies just a little above the saltworks and whose lava flows flowed into the sea near the neighboring lighthouse. The volcanic eruption almost meant the end of the salt works. One of the lava flows came to a standstill just 200 m from the saltworks. Since then, the salt has been marketed under the brand name Sal Marina Teneguía . In the years that followed, botanists, ornithologists, geologists and scientists from other fields came to the area to study flora, fauna and geological processes. The knowledge gained in this way led to the fact that the saltworks was declared an area of scientific interest ( Sitio de Interés Científico ) in 1994 . The area belonging to this area is seven hectares and is part of the Los Volcanes de Teneguía natural monument . In 1994, the operator received money from a UNESCO fund to renovate and expand the facility. Recognition as an area of scientific interest, however, meant that the planned museum and a restaurant could not be built, as any other use of the saline than for salt production was not permitted. Only after years of tug-of-war was approval granted in 2012 to build a visitor center with a museum and restaurant.
Salt extraction
The amount of salt extracted annually is around 500 tons. Most of the salt remains on La Palma, the majority of the rest is sold on the other islands. However, they are also exported to other EU countries upon request. The salt is extracted by hand in the traditional way. Only the traditional tools Cedazo (sieve), Pala (shovel), Rastrillo (rake) and Carretilla (wheelbarrow) are used in the salt basins. The salt production takes place from May to November. The time before and after the salt harvest is used to maintain the salt works. The salt water required for salt production is pumped into the basin from the lower Atlantic Ocean. The salt works has a salt mill, a packaging system and a drying oven.
The following types of salt are produced:
- Coarse-grained sea salt
- Fine-grain sea salt
- Salt flower ( Flor de Sal )
The salt obtained is free from trickles or other chemical additives. Only the “Flor de Sal” is offered in a refined, flavored form, in addition to its pure form. However, only natural additives such as B. Zeus Negramol wine, lemons and mojo made from peppers are used. The fact that the salt still does not have an eco-label is due to the fact that in Spain it is not classified as an agricultural product, but as a mineral.
Visitor center and educational trail
The visitor center “Centro de Interpretación Salinas de Fuencaliente” houses the themed restaurant “El Jardín de la Sal”, which opened in September 2013, and a small shop where salt, other regional products and souvenirs can be purchased. Among other things, salt can be tasted here. There is a coffee bar on the roof terrace. The museum and exhibition planned in the basement is still under construction (as of July 2018). A display pool was created next to the visitor center. A nature trail in the form of a circular route leads across the site of the saline. At the individual stations, the salt extraction process and the flora and fauna are explained on display boards. When planning the building, great importance was attached to the fact that it blends in well with the saltworks and the surrounding area and that only natural stones are used for the construction. Since the building was limited in height due to strict requirements, a basement was created for the planned museum.
Economic situation
The production of sea salt in the Canary Islands has declined over time. In the course of time, most of the salt pans on the Canary Islands had to give up. In 2017 only 10 of the 60 salt pans were still active. The Fuencaliente saltworks is and was also exposed to economic pressure. This pressure was further increased by the fact that at the beginning of the 1990s the import of inexpensive salt from the Spanish mainland and from other countries to the Canary Islands (the traditional sales point of the salt works) increased. This circumstance forced the operator to sell his salt at very low prices despite high production costs due to the artisanal extraction. The economic situation has eased for several years. With the construction of the visitor center with shop and restaurant and the inclusion of the Flor de Sal in the product range, sales increased. The latter is also offered through a distribution partner in delicatessen stores on mainland Europe.
Flora and fauna
Among the specially adapted to the high salinity plants and animals that occur in the salt pans of the Saline, include the Ruppia maritima from the family of balances plants , the algae Dunaliella salina (which is responsible for the reddish color of the water of the pool) and the brine shrimp ( Artemia salina ). The saline serves as a resting place for around 30 different species of migratory birds. In the course of the certification for the Sitio de Interés Científico , a large number of rare and protected animal and plant species, some of which only endemic to La Palma, were recorded on the protected area.
flora
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Canary dock | Rumex lunaria |
| Silky-haired schizogyns | Schizogyne sericea |
| Frankenia | Frankenia ericifolia |
| Canarian mugwort | Artemisia thuscula |
| Blunt-leaved milkweed | Euphorbia obtusifolia |
| Nymph umbel | Astydamia latifolia |
fauna
Birds
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Turnstone | Arenaria interpres |
| Ringed plover | Charadrius hiaticula |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina |
| Stilt | Himantopus himantopus |
| Greenshank | Tringa nebularia |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba |
| Redshank | Tringa totanus |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus |
| Lapwing Ringed Plover | Pluvialis squatarola |
| Canary Pipit | Anthus berthelotii |
| Monochrome sailor | Apus unicolor |
| Gray heron | Ardea cinerea |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus canariensis |
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Rock dove | Columba livia |
| Godwit | Limosa limosa |
| Ruff | Philomachus pugnax |
| Cuban flamingo | Phoenicopterus ruber |
| Canary Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus canariensis |
| Chough | Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax |
| Avocets | Recurvirostra avosetta |
| Canary girl seat | Serinus canarius |
| Common tern | Sterna hirundo |
| Sandwich tern | Sterna sandvicensis |
| turtledove | Streptopelia turtur |
| Velvet warbler | Sylvia melanocephala ssp. leucogastra |
| Kentish plover | Charadrius alexandrinus |
Bats
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Madeira bat | Pipistrellus maderensis |
Reptiles
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| La Palma Canary Lizard (Red Beard) | Gallotia galloti palmae |
| Canary gecko | Tarentola deladandii |
insects
| German name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Black beetle | Arthrodeis obesus ssp. simillimus |
| Butterfly mosquitoes | Nemapalpus flavus |
| Ground beetle | Olisthophus palmensis |
| Four-point sickle insect | Phaneroptera nana |
| Small clamps | Scopula guancharia ssp. ilustris |
| Ironclad beetles | Tarphius affinis |
| Catchy tunes | Anatelia troglobia |
Other sights in the area
- The Volcán de San Antonio with visitor center for the San Antonio and Teneguia ( map )
- Lighthouse Faro de Fuencaliente with the information center of the marine reserve of the island of La Palma ( Centro de Interpretación de la Reserva de La Palma ) right next to the salt works.
- Teneguía volcano ( map )
- The Holy Spring " Fuenta Santa " ( map )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Visit to the Fuencaliente saltworks - www.la-palma-aktuell
- ↑ Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo: El volcán de Teneguía - crónica de una erupción del siglo XX - Tauro Producciones, Tegueste (Tenerife) 2001, ISBN 84-88605-63-3
- ↑ Sitio de Interés Científico de Las Salinas de Fuencaliente (P-19) ( Spanish ) gobiernodecanarias.org. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Salt pans of Fuencaliente get a visitor center . Wochenblatt - The newspaper for the Canary Islands from August 9, 2012.
- ^ History of the salt works . Homepage of Salinas Marinas de Fuencaliente SL (English), accessed on September 10, 2018.
- ↑ Rainer Olzem, Tim Reisinger: The Eruption of Teneguía 1971 . Graphs with lava flows of the eruption.
- ↑ a b c The story of a hard-working salt gardener family , in La Palma 24 Journal, the online magazine for La Palma. dated March 26, 2011.
- ↑ Sea salt - Salinas Fuencaliente , Portal de Cacarias, accessed on September 10, 2018.
- ↑ a b 50 years Saline Fuencaliente , in La Palma 24 Journal, the online magazine for La Palma from June 9, 2017.
- ↑ La Palma: Saline Fuencaliente - Jardin de la Sal , in La Palma 24 Journal, the online magazine for La Palma. from October 5, 2013.
- ↑ Visitor Center Centro de Interpretación Salinas de Fuencaliente - display boards on the educational trail of the salt works
- ↑ Normas de Conservacion Sitio de Interés Científicode Las Salinas de Fuencaliente , on gobiernodecanarias.org (PDF). Retrieved September 11, 2018.