Ses Salines (Ibiza)

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Ses Salines Ibiza
Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera

Ses Salines is an important salt production area in the Mediterranean and is located on the Spanish Balearic island of Ibiza . The nature reserve ( Parque Natural de Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera ) is located on the southern tip of Ibiza in the municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia .

history

Salt mountain near Ses Salines, Eivissa
Ses Salines, Eivissa

In 654 BC The Phoenician Carthaginians founded a colony on the east side of the port bay of Ibiza (Eivissa), which used this salt area.

123 BC The Balearic Islands were conquered by Quintus Caecilius Metellus , called Balearicus. The Romans called Ibiza town Ebesus. As a confederate city, it was able to retain a certain degree of autonomy. So the residents did not have to pay tribute and the salt production continued.

In 1229, when the Christians recaptured Ibiza in the course of the Reconquista , Ses Salines became the most important salt production area in the Mediterranean. For several centuries Ses Salines belonged to the Spanish crown and the residents of Ibiza were given permission to extract unlimited salt and to be able to sell it for a tax on the amount extracted.

In 1299, when King Jaume II established public administration authorities and created a representative government body for the island, the income from the salt should be the main source of income for this administrative institution. And so a whole series of offices came into being with regard to the administration of the salt pans.

In 1709 the salt pans were leased to a merchant from Genoa, Joan Baptista Visconti, who managed them until King Philip V of Spain appropriated the salt pans through "right of conquest" after the war of the Spanish Succession .

In 1871 the salt pans of Ibiza were sold to the Majorcan Josep Astier for 1,162,020 pesetas.

In 1977 there was a first movement to protect the area around the salt flats.

In 2001, Ses Salines was incorporated into the Environmental Protection Act 17/2001 of December 19 of the year. J. declared a nature reserve.

Salt is still extracted in Ses Salines today and exported to Scandinavia, for example. In 2016, 65,000 tons of salt were extracted from an area of ​​450 hectares. After 18 years, this is the highest skimmed amount that could be obtained so far. However, the price for a ton has dropped from EUR 24 to EUR 19. 19,000 tons of the salt are shipped to northern Europe for de-icing . However, the largest amount is sold to the Faroe Islands and Denmark for processing stockfish .

The Natural Park (Parque Natural de Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera)

Information sign in the Ses Salines Natural Park

The nature reserve covers the area between the south of Ibiza and the north of Formentera including the Des Freus archipelago with s'Espalmador , s'Espardell and Des Penjats . The total area of ​​around 15,400 ha is made up of around 1,800 ha of land and around 13,600 ha of sea. The entire protection zone is home to a number of differently important ecosystems, which are composed of dune landscapes, beaches, marshland, cliffs, rocky coastal zones, the old basins for salt extraction and the largest contiguous area of ​​seagrass meadows ( Neptune grass ) in the Mediterranean . The seagrass meadow area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 . The entire area is the habitat of endangered species and breeding and / or migration areas for various bird species. The administrative headquarters of the Parque Natural de Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera is located in the center of the city and is also the competent authority for the nature reserve of the same name on the island of Formentera .

The following is allowed in the park:

  • The observation of fauna and flora
  • Non-professional photography without leaving the prescribed routes and
  • Everything that neither affects nor harms the park.

Written approval is required for the following:

  • Scientific investigations
  • Scuba diving
  • Film production and professional photography
  • Make fire

It is strictly forbidden:

  • Driving with personal watercraft
  • Underwater fishing (harpooning)
  • Bathing and mud baths in the s'Espalmador lagoon
  • Anchoring and mooring at the archipelago
  • The removal of flora and fauna both on land and in the marine zone.
  • Staying in the areas of salt extraction or salt basins.
  • Any overnight stay: neither in tents nor in vehicles.
  • Any driving outside of the marked paths
  • Walk through the dunes and run outside of the marked paths.

Flora and fauna

Ses Salines is a habitat for native plants and animals. The flora is influenced by the salinity of the earth and the native periwinkle , Spanish cane and numerous salt plants predominate . The adjacent hills, where the salinity is lower, are overgrown with Sedge trees , pine forests , rosemary and rockrose bushes .

Among the more than 210 bird species recorded, such as stilts , redshanks and shovelers , the herons and flamingos stand out, which settle and can be observed there, especially in the months of July to October and from February to May.

Danger

Due to mass tourism and the increase in shipping traffic, especially large yachts and cruise ships, the Neptune grass fields are being severely decimated. The marine biologist Manu San Felixe from Formentera filmed in the summer of 2011 how the 100 meter long motor yacht ' Turama ' destroyed one hectare of Neptune grass (Posidonia Oceanica) in a single day . In April 2012, the 'Diario de Ibiza' revealed that the 181-meter-long Columbus 2 cruise ship of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten anchored over the Neptune grass fields, which are worthy of protection. When the anchors are pulled out, large amounts of seaweed are torn out, and if the damage continues, these ecosystems could be gone in three years.

Worth seeing

Sant-Francesc-De-S'-Estany

In the middle of the salt fields is the small village of Sant Francesc , which was built especially for the workers of the salt pans in the 18th century. Located directly on the road to the beaches of Las Salinas and Es Cavallet, you can still see a few small houses in the village and the now vacant church Iglesia de Sant Francesc de s'Estany , where services were previously held for the workers of the salt pans.

swell

proof

  1. ↑ "Salinera logra la mejor cosecha de los últimos 18 años, and 20% more than in 2015". In: Diario de Ibiza of December 18, 2016
  2. ↑ "19,000 toneladas para el deshielo del norte de Europa". In: Diario de Ibiza of December 18, 2016
  3. ↑ Diario de Ibiza from September 14 to 16 and October 8, 2011 [1]
  4. ↑ Diario de Ibiza from April 19, 2012 [2]

Web links

Coordinates: 38 ° 48 '  N , 1 ° 26'  E