Ses Salines is an important salt production area in the Mediterranean and is located on the SpanishBalearic 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.
Salt is still mined in Ses Salines today and exported to Scandinavia, for example. The largest quantities are sold to the Faroe Islands and Denmark for stockfish processing.
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 approximately 15,400 hectares consists of approximately 1,800 hectares of land and approximately 13,600 hectares of sea. The entire protected area is home to a whole series of ecosystems of varying importance, consisting of dune landscapes, beaches, marshlands, cliffs, rocky coastal zones, the old salt production basins and the largest contiguous area of seagrass meadows (Neptune grass) in the Mediterranean. The seagrass meadows area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. The entire area is a habitat for endangered species and a breeding and/or migration area for various bird species. The administrative headquarters of the Parque Natural de Ses Salines d’Eivissa i Formentera is located in the centre of the city and is also the responsible authority for the nature reserve of the same name on the island of Formentera.
Ses Salines is a habitat for native plants and animals. The flora is influenced by the salinity of the soil and the native periwinkle, Spanish reed and numerous salt plants predominate. The adjacent hills, where the salinity is lower, are covered with saline trees, pine forests, rosemary and rockrose bushes. Among the more than 210 species of birds recorded, such as black-winged stilts, redshanks and shovelers, the herons and flamingos stand out, which settle there and can be observed especially from July to October and from February to May.
On the edge of the salt fields is the small church of Sant Francesc (San Francisco, Spanish), which was built especially for the saltworks workers in the 18th century. Located directly on the road to the beaches of Ses Salines and Es Cavallet, a few small houses can still be seen that were built by the workers of that time. In the church Iglesia de Sant Francesc de s’Estany, where services were once held for the saltworks workers, a service is still held on the day of the local patron saint (2 April), followed by a folklore performance. To protect the saltworks workers from Barbary corsairs, two defensive towers were built at the end of the 16th century. The Torre de sa Sal Rossa, which is open to visitors, and the Torre de ses Portes are in good structural condition.
