Pond Stagno di Molentargius description and photos - Italy: Cagliari (Sardinia island) (Topic)

Stagno di Molentargius pond description and photos - Italy: Cagliari (Sardinia island). Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Stagno di Molentargius.

Photo and description

Stagno di Molentargius is a pond spread over an area of over 1,000 acres in the vicinity of the city of Cagliari in Sardinia. From the east it is bounded by the Quartu quarter, from the north by Viale Marconi, and from the south by Is Arenas.

Molentargius is a very ancient pond: it is known that about 100 thousand years ago there was a dam or a large swamp on this place. During the time of the Phoenicians, salt mining began here, which continued during the rule of the Spaniards and later, during the Piedmontese. Initially, salt was mined by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages - they worked in the summer months. Then, between the 9th and 10th centuries, prisoners were used for this hard work. This is where the name Molentargius comes from: "su molenti" is a small Sardinian donkey, which was loaded with bags of salt and which was used to carry boats into the canals.

In the first decades of the 20th century, the method of obtaining salt was modified - a system of vats appeared, in which salt began to evaporate: seawater was pumped into external pools , and from there it is slowly pumped into the central basin. From the central pool along the Is Arenas canal, water flows into the "salt" vats in Kvarta, where the process of salt evaporation ends.

But Molentargius represents not only economic, but also ecological value - the entire area of the pond is an ecosystem of great importance. This nature reserve is home to thousands of birds belonging to 200 species! Despite the installation of supports in the center of the pond, wastewater discharge, poaching and various forms of environmental pollution, Molentargius' incredible birdlife continues to amaze scientists and tourists alike. In the near future, it is planned to create a natural park with a museum and a library. In the meantime, on the bank of the pond, you can find pink flamingos, curlews, striped stilts, plovers, moorhens, marsh harriers, wild ducks, small sultans and other birds that inhabit both freshwater and salt water bodies.

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Topic: Pond Stagno di Molentargius description and photos - Italy: Cagliari (Sardinia island).