Cúllar

Area of great ecological importance, the salt marshes, in places that do not drain rainwater easily. These marshes flood occasionally and dry in summer, thus favouring the accumulation of gypsum and other more soluble salts. The vegetation that grows in these conditions is known as sisallar and comprises plants such as glasswort, used often in the past to produce soaps and glass, or Limonium majus and Limonium minus, two plants unique to the Baza basin. One of the Altiplano’s most important salt marshes can be found in the dry river bed of Salar del Margen (Cúllar), which was recently included in the Andalusian Wetlands Inventory.

These unique biological badland and salt marsh communities are home to a wide variety of insects. In fact, the central part of the Altiplano region has been designated an Important Area for the Conservation of Invertebrates of Andalusia (Zona de Interés para la Conservación de los Invertebrados de Andalucía - ZICI), specifically area number 4 (the Baza Depression).