Restoring Critical Saltpans in Andalucía with Salarte

The Association for the Land Stewardship and the Recovery of the Salt Marsh (SALARTE) is a private non-profit organization founded in 2012 that works on the recovery, management and enhancement of coastal saltpans, conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of local employment upon endogenous resources. This association was born from the urgent need to restore and “awaken” ancient living territories, once a source of wealth and social cultural pride of Cadiz, previously abandoned. Salarte’s goal is to serve as an example of the importance of engaging civil society in the restoration of a natural habitat through “territory stewardship”, and to prove that its active management generates environmental and social benefits. Salarte seeks to reproduce the model of management of living territories through stewardship, counting on the support of environmental managers, technicians, companies, entities, institutions and administration.

The objective of the funding supplied by the Slow Fund in 2022 is to restore, conserve and revitalize one of the most iconic saltpans of Cádiz: Balbanera. Salarte aims to create and maintain a dynamic space that generates ecological, socioeconomic, and environmental prosperity for this wetland.

It will show how conversation and the green economy can work hand in hand through gastronomy, tourism, and wetland farming. In addition to enhancing biodiversity, it will generate multiple associated benefits in terms of the creation of income, wealth and employment based on endogenous resources, with the premise of the sustainability of the actions that are proposed to ensure low environmental impact.

B&R is proud to support Salarte as part of the Slow Fund’s mission to help people and nature thrive in harmony.