Sečovlje saltpans (692)
Slovenia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Sečoveljske soline
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.5000, Longitude: 13.6500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 13.87775
Protected area coverage (%): 65.01
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: On the Slovenia-Croatia border, this is one of the largest areas of salinas on the Adriatic Sea. The major part lies in Slovenia. Desert-like areas are frequently flooded by seawater or brackish water. Salt-tolerant invertebrates are common, and up to 16 species of salt-tolerant plants are present. Most of the salinas (Fontanigge) were abandoned after the Second World War, but a smaller part (Lera), covering some 5-10% of the site, is still active in producing salt.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: Important numbers of migratory and post-breeding Larus melanocephalus and Larus cachinnans congregate at the saltpans, and the adjacent sea is a migration route for significantly large numbers of Puffinus yelkouan. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Phalacrocorax pygmeus (3-23 birds at the pans in winter; numbers have been increasing), Acrocephalus paludicola (rare on passage, max. 1). The salinas are also notable nationally for their concentrations of waders on passage, for some breeding waterbirds and for wintering wildfowl, gulls and herons.
Delineation rationale: 2011: enlarged - now 13.9 km2, previously 9.7 km2; enlarged mainly to the sea surface where there are roosting sites (buoys) for Phalacrocorax aristotelis, a small polygon added to the NE part of former IBA to include roosting site of Egretta garzetta.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (15%) | nature conservation and research (5%) | not utilised (65%) | tourism/recreation (15%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 30 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 63 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 7 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The only important problems are the disturbance to birds caused by visitors and the increasing pressures for infrastructure development (for aquaculture, tourism, sport). The area is the only Ramsar Site in Slovenia (designated in 1993). Waterbird hunting has been prohibited. The site is well researched and frequently visited by ornithologists, but permanent monitoring of birds has not yet been established.