The Nature Reserve of Castro Marim is a special protected area, recoginsed by the Ramsar convention as a wetland of international significance for the importance of its habitats.
Alongside the River Guadiana between Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António, and covering an area of more than 2,000 hectares, lies a wetland area consisting of marshes, saltpans, inlets and rural areas of schist and red sandstone. It is the oldest nature reserve in Portugal, having been classed as such in 1975.
Hugely interesting from a biological point of view, the Castro Marim marsh provides shelter and nesting places for aquatic birds and for various species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans.
a unique ecossystem
The characteristic vegetation of the marshes and the traditional saltpans results in a geometric patchwork of a landscape, where land and water combine to form curious reflections. A complex estuarine system of creeks, alluvial plains, saltmarshes and artificial salinas, subject to wide fluctuations in tidal range and salinity levels. The wetland is noteworthy for its halophytic saltmarsh communities and distinctive shrubby vegetation adapted to the extremes of a hot, dry and saline environment. The site supports several species of breeding waterbirds and a small heronry, and is crucial for large numbers of non-breeding flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber and spoonbills Platalea leucorodia. The wetland plays a crucial role in maintaining water tables, flood attenuation, and serves as a freshwater reservoir in one of the dryest areas of Portugal.
Created by Nature
The purity of local Atlantic waters, combined with traditional hand harvesting technics, results in a 100% natural salt, as it occurs in nature. Natural sea salt is nothing other than dehydrated sea water. It is completely natural with no additives of any kind (RAW - nothing added and nothing taken). Because it's obtained solely by the natural evaporation of seawater It's not simply a compound of sodium and chlorine but also contains more than 80 minerals and trace elements detectable in seawater, all of which are essential for the human organism. These remain in their natural complex compounds, the ideal form for our bodies to use.
