Habitats
In Lera, the typical habitats of plant and animal species are limited to the various salt pans, brackish channels and dykes. In the Fontanigga area, the habitats are even more varied: there are reed beds, halophilous meadows, dry, bare or partially vegetated ponds and islets in the salt pans, fields, various types of habitats on the banks. Even the remains of salt houses are attractive to some species. The Fontanigge are hemmed in by dry, wet karst scrub and meadows, while the high sea mountains to the west are hemmed in by shallow waters.
The sub-Mediterranean climate, high water salinity in the shallow pools and traditional salt production create specific ecological conditions that support a great diversity of species and their habitats.
Conditions that allow only the most adapted organisms to survive make salt pans one of the most extreme environments. The water entering the salt pans has the same salinity as seawater, but evaporation thickens it and adds salt.
The salt pans are surrounded by scrub, dry and wet karst grasslands, while the high sea mountains to the west are covered by shallow water. The area in front of the Sečovlje salt pans is characterised by numerous shallows created by the deposition of sediment by the Dragonja river.
In addition to the sea, important are the fields, as the sandy or clay coastline is called, which is exposed to the constant action of the tides. Pools are found at river mouths and on the banks of inlets and salt ponds connected to the sea. This habitat is characterised by strong temperature fluctuations, which require the organisms present to be particularly resistant. The fields invaded by salt-tolerant plants provide an extremely rich habitat and a source of food for many birds.
At Lera, the typical habitats of plant and animal species are limited to the various salt fields, salt canals and dams.
At Fontanigge, the habitats are even more varied: there are reed beds, halophilous meadows, dry, bare or partially vegetated ponds and islets in the salt pans, fields, various types of habitats on the banks.