Saltpans, when exploited, are artificial wetlands that can nevertheless be of a very high ecological value. Salt production consists in moving seawater over large, shallow areas, called saltpans. Natural evaporation under the combined effect of the sun and the wind gradually increases the salt concentration, until it deposits when water gets saturated. In low-salinity basins some salt-tolerant plant and fish species can develop; however in the most salty basins only some artemias (minute crustaceans) can survive.
Salt production leads in practise to the creation of large, undisturbed areas where human presence is limited: they are therefore an important habitat for waterbirds. Today, the tendency in the north Mediterranean is towards their abandonment, because of the economic competition from cheaper salt-producing areas. After salt production ceases, they are often managed for the benefit of wildlife.
