Legal problems over the control of natural salt systems and their resources in the south-east mediterranean peninsular area (16th-19th c.)

Abstract

Natural systems with a saline environment, such as salt marshes and salt marshes, are ecosystems of high biotic value despite their uniqueness. It is not in vain that in the past they enjoyed special royal and stately protection due to the income from their exploitation. For centuries, the salt flats fed the coffers of the Valencian Royal Treasury, and later, through royal privileges of donation, those of the municipal councils, given the value of salt on the national and international market. Similarly, the salt marshes also became highly coveted properties and their domination gave rise to serious social and judicial conflicts due to the huge profits generated by the exploitation and trade of their main natural resource: «yerba sosa». It is not surprising that the public authorities, faced with the continuous abuses and frauds committed by private individuals, adopted important measures in the past to prevent the overexploitation and illegal sale of these valuable natural resources.