The agriecological importance of continental saltworks (Andalucia, Spain)

Abstract

Continental saltworks can be considered agricultural and ecological systems at the same time due to the production system they support. Throughout our research, we try to demonstrate that these production systems have enormous value from different points of view. to do this, we try to focus the study on a broad but very concrete geographical area: the middle basin of the Guadalquivir river. The continental Saltworks in the middle basin of the Guadalquivir river, located in centre of Andalusia (South Spain), are the largest productive saltworks inside the Iberian Peninsula. They relate to countryside wetlands in Andalusia, an important network thanks of its central geographic position, between the east and west of the hydrographical basin. Several species and habitats of European and international interest (Natura 2000 network, Ramsar list) are present in them. It plays a significant role as an area of stopover, wintering and breeding along the migratory routes of birds that cross the Mediterranean. The most interesting migratory and wintering species are the Netta rufina (brown pochard), Botaurus stellaris (Common Bittern), Fulica cristata (Moorish Coot), Anas chlorotis (Brown Teal) and Pandion haliaetus (Osprey) which are the five birds most at risk of extinction in Europe (SEO, 2019). Moreover, in the early 1990s The Phoenicopterus ruber (greater flamingo) colonised wetlands in centre of Andalusia in great number, around 20,000 today (Junta de Andalucía, 2000), making it the largest concentration of the species in mainland Europe. The saltworks in middle basin Guadalquivir river are natural areas, the characteristics of which are preserved entirely due to spring salt production, which guarantees all the chemical and physical factors necessary for the survival of these habitats. To do this, some agricultural practices are necessary and, therefore, we mean its agro-ecological importance. It is also worth noting the type of production adopted in the saltworks, which makes it possible to recover the processing brine, thus eliminating one of the critical factors in the symbiotic relationship between salt production and environmental protection. Finally, we intend to highlight that continental saltworks of this area represent a heritage and a way of life of the inhabitants who, through their exploitation, manage to survive a way of life totally linked to the land and ancestral culture. It is therefore a heritage asset that comes from a long time ago.