Salina Solar Los Olivitos has been designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Site of International Importance. The WHSRN Hemispheric Council voted unanimously to approve the nomination. Located in the municipality of Miranda in Zulia state, Venezuela, Salina Solar Los Olivitos supports more than 100,000 shorebirds every year of 27 different species. This includes more than 20 species that breed in the Arctic and the boreal forest of North America, highlighting the importance of this site for the conservation of shorebirds on an international scale.
Salina Solar Los Olivitos is the first WHSRN site in Venezuela, and the first on the Caribbean coast of South America. The site is almost 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) of private property, owned by the salt production company Productora de Sal, C.A. (PRODUSAL). The site was nominated in the category of “International Importance” by Lermith Torres, from the local NGO MANGLE; Sandra Giner, of the Tropical Zoology and Ecology Institute of the Central University of Venezuela; and Emiliano Rujano, General Manager of PRODUSAL.
Left: White-rumped Sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis). Right: Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). Photos: Lermith Torres.
Rob Clay, Director of the WHSRN Executive Office, said that “with the addition of Venezuela, our network is now comprised of 102 sites in 16 countries, covering almost 40 million acres (more than 15 million hectares) – all critical to helping shorebirds complete their annual lifecycles, and helping to fulfill the WHSRN mission of conserving shorebirds and their habitats through a network of critical sites in the Americas.”
Emiliano Rujano, General Manager of PRODUSAL, noted that “this is great news for our company, as we are committed to maintaining a balance between development and conservation. Understanding the importance of the area and following the guidelines defined by the People’s Ministry for Eco-Socialism and Water, our company conducts various environmental monitoring surveys every year, in order to record what unique species inhabit the area.”
Shorebird census at the Ciénaga de Los Olivitos Wildlife Refuge. Photos: Chris Sharpe.
PRODUSAL has a Clean Harvest Program, with the objective to contribute to the environmentally sustainable development of the salt production industry. The new shorebird reserve is an artificial wetland made up of salt concentration and extraction ponds that belong to the company. These ponds are adjacent to the Ciénaga de Los Olivitos Wildlife Refuge and Ramsar Site.
Left: Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor), front, and Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). Right: Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis). Photos: Lermith Torres.
Please join us in welcoming Salina Solar Los Olivitos and its partners to the Network!
