The Fund for the Stewardship and Recovery of the Salt Marsh (SALARTE) is
a private non-profit entity whose purpose is to work to recover artisan coastal
saltpans, to conserve biodiversity and to foster local employment based on
endogenous resources.
The Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park is an amphibious territory. Down through
the centuries, humans managed to reconcile conserving and enhancing its natural
capital with the use of environmental services thanks to the sustainable use of
the salt marshes, tidal streams, creeks and saltpans. Up until the middle of
the 20th century, this territory, with a surface area of 10,522 Ha,
was home to over 170 artisan saltpans, which generated biodiversity, economic
resources and underpinned an exemplary social fabric. Only 4 artisan saltpans
are still worked and 5,373 hectares of what had been world-famous saltpans and
an example to all now lie abandoned.
The abandoning of the artisan saltpans led to a loss of environmental
diversity and the degradation of key habits for migratory species of birds to
rest, feed and breed along the Atlantic flyway. It also meant the squandering
of countless natural resources that could help the recovery of a depressed
socio-economy and, finally, the disappearance of the emotional bond between
society and the territory.
After discovering this dramatic reality of territorial abandonment and
loss of environmental quality in a province with a 40% unemployment rate, this
team of professionals – who at the time had the advantage of working for the
Public Sector – began to transform a salt marsh used for fly tipping, poaching
and other illegal activities into what is now the largest Metropolitan Park in
the Iberian Peninsula, Los Toruños. We also organised two
International Artisan Salt Fairs and worked to get Spanish legislation changed
to ensure a level playing field to manage Spanish artisan saltpans on a par
with countries such as Portugal and France. In 2012, we set up this NGO (Salarte)
to recover salt marshes as a private venture.
SALARTE seeks to show that the sustainable management of salt marshes
generates socio-economic benefits for the local population, fosters
biodiversity, improves the functioning of natural processes and strengthens the
bond between humans and their natural heritage.
Therefore, a year ago, we took over an old saltpan-island that had been abandoned
decades ago. Thanks to our experience and steadfast work (with barely any
resources and no public funding), we are gradually transforming it into a
Natural Reserve that seeks to involve the human being in the salt marsh,
increase biodiversity and showcase its wealth by organising lectures and guided
visits to this legendary territory.
SALARTE is the
only private NGO to manage a Reserve Zone of the Andalusian Network of Protected Natural Spaces, which is designated as a “Special Area of
Conservation and is part of the European Natura 2000 Network.
La Covacha is an old saltpan with a surface
area of 26.5 Ha. It is part of the
Trocadero Island and one of the main squares in Paris is named in honour of the
Battle of Trocadero fought here. Despite being a cultural, historical and
ecological centre, the Trocadero Island enjoys maximum legal protection, even
though it has been abandoned for decades.
Despite the numerous restoration and conversation
projects by public authorities, the lack of upkeep and management of La Covacha
meant that the tides and strong back wash had damaged the sluice gates and outside
boundary walls that protect La Covacha from the surrounding marine
environment. This led to a dramatic drop
in the numbers of spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) using the colony based in La Covacha
since 1996.
Convinced that civil society needed to take up the
management of the saltpans and areas in the maritime-terrestrial public domain,
SALARTE sought authorisation
from the Regional Government of Andalusia to take on La Covacha for its integral
management as a service for aquatic and marine biodiversity.
Salarte, a private NGO, is made up of young
independent professionals that do not have sufficient economic resources to
invest. However, thanks to environmental
volunteer drives, agreements drawing upon the expertise of shell fishermen and the
organising of bird-watching routes, we have repaired the damage to the outside
boundary wall, built new sluice gates and are managing the water inside the
island to foster biodiversity and recover the island as a spoonbill breeding
area.
During the spring and summer of 2014, the osprey (Pandion
haliaetus) chose La Covacha as the site for the first attempt of
non-assisted reproduction in the Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park since it was
declared extinct as a breeding bird halfway through the 20th
century. Our aim is to use management
resources to encourage osprey breeding in 2015 and future years.
Therefore, at the end of this winter and early spring, we made
significant improvements to this island, which were urgently needed, and involving
an investment of 7,000 euros. Even though the association lacked the funds, the
SALARTE members decided to undertake the work even with the risk of having to donate
the money themselves. The construction
company has been highly supportive of the project, lowered the cost of the
works and agreed to allow us to pay in instalments.
Thanks to a successful crowdfunding initiative, we have managed to raise
nearly half the cost of the works and La Covacha has welcomed spring and its
nesting birds with a series of small but exciting improvements, consisting of:
- Two
nesting platforms and
several artificial perches for
the osprey.
- A
raised hide to monitor
the spoonbill colony.
- A
refurbished tool room for
the management and maintenance of the island.
- A
jetty to make it easier
to access the island.
- A
photo/video camera to
monitor the osprey.
Despite being quite common in the UK, land stewardship is a tool that is
practically unknown in Andalusia. We aim
to set an example to show how important it is for civil society to get involved
in restoring the natural environment and how it generates environmental
benefits, leads to social improvements for the population and recovers
territorial pride.
We are striving to get the general public to
be committed to improving the territory and reproduce the Anglo-Saxon
environmental management model in Andalusia.
We would therefore be delighted to welcome Andalucia Bird Society and
nature lovers, with whom we have such strong ties and who have done so much
down through the years to showcase the birds of Andalucia to scientists, nature
lovers and enthusiasts around the world.
We would be delighted to welcome you to the
Bay of Cadiz. SALARTE technicians will show you the secrets of the last
traditional saltpans, explain how they work and let you discover the mythical
La Covacha Island for yourselves. The
support of ABS members is fundamental for this project as an impetus to help
this small organisation continue working on our common goal: knowledge about
and respecting nature.
During a visit, some of the many birds you are
likely to see include ospreys and spoonbills, flamingos, several species of
gulls, great cormorant, caspian terns, gull billed terns, common redshanks,
spotted redshanks, common greenshanks, common sandpipers, wood sandpipers, green
sandpipers, curlew sandpipers, marsh harriers, hen harriers, booted eagles, common
kestrels, turnstones, oystercatchers, grey plovers, European golden plovers, sanderlings,
red knots, dunlins, black-tailed godwits, bar-tailed godwits, Eurasian curlews,
whimbrels, kentish plovers, little ringed plovers, common ringed plovers. You will
also be able to discover the seagrass meadows, which are home to many species
of fish, shellfish, shrimp, prawns, sea horses and other important species.
A traditional fishing boat can take you
through the tidal reed beds and sea grass meadows to disembark –at the brand-new
jetty– on the island that the Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis seized during
the Peninsular Wars. You will there learn how
the marshland water is managed using sluice gates and walls, along with having time
for bird-watching and to take in this unique scenery.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Bay of
Cadiz and take you to La Covacha where you will discover the legacy of
centuries of converging evolution between humans and nature.
Author: Juan Martín Bermúdez - Salarte. Bay of Cadiz - 2015
Edited: Peter Jones - Andalucia Bird Society. Andalucia - 2015
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