A saline is a place where we evaporate salt water, to leave only the salt, dry it and collect it for its sale.
Salt water leads to horizontal extensions called farms, in which the water is divided into plots or areas.
Natural evaporation of the seawater in the areas leaves salt ready for collection in a few tanks protected from rain or terrazzo, and it must be dry before its packaging and distribution.
The Saltworks of Cabo de Gata are the only ones who remain in industrial activity in Western Andalusia and apart from its productive value, some 40,000 tons of salt, possess one much greater ecological value because it is the habitat of many plant and animal species.
The origin of the salt exploitation can be traced back to the Phoenician or Carthaginian period, there is archaeological evidence that in the Roman period there was a salting industry. They occupy an area of approximately 400 hectares of flood-prone land and water intake is done through a complex system of channels using the slope to the sea, and through numerous rambles flowing at Salt Lake with rainwater. They are parallel to the coastline, the beach of the Salinas, and between the neighborhood of Cabo de Gata and the mountain range that ends in the sea with the lighthouse of Cabo de Gata.
They have posted more than 100 different species of birds in the wetlands, being 70% of this number, birds that use salt as a resting place in their migration process and the rest, taking advantage of the temperate zone winters, have set it as their residence. One of the ornithological wealth of these wetlands is the large number of pink flamingos, or common Flamingo, which can be observed. During the summer which coincides with their passing immigration, mostly to late July and early August, the colony can be formed by thousands of individuals, a few hundred of these birds spend all year in these wetlands.
There are several bird observation posts in the Salinas, you should carry binoculars, or if you want to photograph, some good objective increase for your camera, the observation posts are located away from the animals to not disturb them.
Flora includes the Palmito, jujube, Cornical and Esparto grass as the most significant plants. Others are the Chumberillo of the Wolf and the local endemic species: gorse Mora, Cape Dragoncillo, Cape Zamarrilla, Cape Clavelina, Androcymbium europaeum, etc...
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