Our heritage
of our past and a part of our present.
The stones here speak, because they are a part
of our past and a part of our present.
Calp
Les Salines
The salina called Les Salines de Calp, close to the Natural Park of Penyal d'Ifac, is located in the urban area of the town. It occupies a depression filled with quaternary alluvial deposits.
Two million years ago there was a bay open to the sea in this space, where the crag of Ifac, at that time an island, was slowly creating deposits of sand until the bay became a lagoon.
In Roman times, the lagoon was transformed into a salina. However, after a decrease in its salinity, in 1786 its elimination was ordered so as to avoid the proliferation of malaria. It was rebuilt in the 20th century and its exploitation extended until 1988.
Currently, a process of artificial contribution of seawater is maintained so as to preserve the level of salinity and conserve the ecosystem. As for the fauna of this natural area, up to 173 species of birds have been detected. Some typical species should be highlighted, such as the flamingo, the black-winged stilt, the pied avocet or the seagulls alongside seabirds such as the European shag or the Balearic shearwater, which mingle with others such as the blue rock thrush or the black wheatear. There are also various types of crustaceans, which serve as a food base for the flamingos.
Both the flora and fauna of the environment have adapted to the existing conditions, in this case, the high salinity. Plants have developed various mechanisms for removing excess salt. An example is the marsh samphire or glasswort, which stores salt in the ends of the stems, or the limonium or the tamarind, which expel it through the leaves.
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Calp
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