Sea salt, a commitment to the environment
The sea salt industry represents an exemplary model of sustainable economy and respect for the natural environment. Sea salt works not only produce essential food, but also create ecosystems rich in biodiversity, where birds, fish, plants, invertebrates and micro-organisms coexist. Without salt production, many of these ecosystems would disappear, as they depend directly on their maintenance.
The sea salt production process is completely natural and is based on clean energies such as wind and sun, with seawater as the only raw material. This perfect symbiosis between nature and industry makes sea salt a unique example of collaboration between humans and the environment, in which both are mutually beneficial.
Moreover, the positive impact is not limited to nature: it also contributes to the preservation of traditional trades and the generation of employment and wealth in local communities. In this way, sea salt production keeps alive a historical and sustainable activity that is key to many families and coastal regions.
Choosing sea salt means much more than choosing a natural product that is essential for life; it means supporting the protection of the environment, preserving biodiversity and committing to a production model that respects and is committed to the future of the planet.
Environmental conservation of our main suppliers
Spain’s salt marshes reclaim the Atlantic and Mediterranean landscapes where an essential food is formed.
Bay of Cadiz Natural Park
This wetland of great importance is located in Puerto de Santa María, declared as such in July 1989. It was recognised as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) in 2003 and forms part of the RAMSAR List of Wetlands of International Importance. Projects have been carried out in collaboration with the Department of the Environment of the Regional Government of Andalusia, such as the ‘Project for the Restoration of Riverbanks and Wetlands in the province of Cadiz’, to promote certain species of waders, and the ‘Project for the reintroduction of the osprey (Pandion haliaetus)’.
There are several salt marshes, such as El Estanquillo, located in San Fernando, where important mixed colonies of waders coexist with bird species as diverse as: little terns and avocets, dune geese, flamingos and ospreys. One more example of the synergy between the salt exploitation and the local fauna and flora.
Santa Pola Salt Lakes Natural Park (Alacant)
It covers an area of more than 2,500 hectares of protected land where, thanks to salt mining, a rich, growing and lively ecosystem is maintained. In the heart of the park (so recognised since 1994), the Bras del Port salt works are located. The extraordinary environmental values of this ecosystem for birdlife guarantee its recognition as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), as well as being included in the list of the RAMSAR Convention since 1990 as wetlands of great international importance.
This place stands out for its enormous biodiversity and for the presence of several endemic species (species that only exist in this habitat), such as the limonium santapolense (plant) or the fartet (fish). More than 40 species form part of the ecosystem, together with various plant species typical of coastal dunes, such as the reed. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of numerous colonies of birds, among which the flamingo, a symbol of the salt flats, undoubtedly stands out.
Among the most significant architectural elements is the Torre de Tamarit, a 16th century defensive construction that served to watch over the coastline against attacks by Barbary pirates.
Coloured lakes with a unique symbiosis
The striking shades of salt marshes, usually deep pink, are due to the tiniest forms of life: these are the extremophile micro-organisms, such as bacteria, archaea and algae that are able to survive in extreme environments.
When salinity reaches a certain level, the micro-organisms disappear after having played a key role in the production of sea salt. The colouring of the lagoons causes the temperature of the water to rise above the ambient temperature, favouring evaporation and increasing production in the salt pans.
These living beings are also the food base for the invertebrates that inhabit the lagoons, such as a tiny crustacean known as Artemia salina, which forms part of the diet of the numerous birds and fish that coexist in the saline wetlands, thus forming a large food chain.
All of this, together with their geographical location – a staging post on migratory bird routes – makes salt marshes areas of great biodiversity and high ecological value.
The preservation of these areas will depend on our gastronomic culture and our commitment to the consumption of natural sea salt.