One of the most surprising environments in the Balearic Islands is found in the Pitiüsas Islands (Ibiza and Formentera).
These are Ses Salines of Ibiza and Formentera, salt pans and marshes which were designated a Natural Reserve in 1995.
Endemic plant and animal communities co-exist here in a rich ecosystem where salt is a dominant feature. All this makes their landscapes and beaches unique and unrepeatable.

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The declaration was announced in the city of Marrakech in 1999.

Ibiza?s natural and cultural wealth of riches are the reasons why it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO at the XXIII session held in the city of Marrakech in 1999.

Thanks to the geographical situation of the Pitiusan Islands, Ibiza and Formentera were key strategic points on east-west sailing routes in the Mediterranean and soon became an important reference for the successive civilisations that formed their history down the centuries and left their imprint on this urban area, the origins of which can be found in the arrival of the Phoenicians, who called Ibiza Ibosim in honour of the god Bes.

A great number of vestiges remain from the different civilisations that passed through these lands over the course of time of which the Phoenician-Punic cultures are two of the most interesting. On one hand, the archaeological remains from the settlement of Sa Caleta are a singular representation of Phoenician city life and an original example of Phoenician enclaves in the Mediterranean, the origins of which date back to 700 B.C.. Another example is the settlement of Puig des Molins, the largest and most carefully preserved underground tombs from the Phoenician-Punic culture, with close to 3500 examples, the most characteristic type of Punic burials in the settlement. Ceramics, terracottas, ostrich eggs and other items have also been found there.

Philip II sponsored the construction of the city of Ibiza Renaissance walls in the sixteenth century, making Ibiza the best-defended bulwark in the Mediterranean.
Today's Dalt Vila quarter inside the walled city on the summit of a rocky promontory and its views of land and sea are the same as they were in the sixteenth century.
The Nature Reserve of Ses Salines in Ibiza and Formentera are the island?s most emblematic wetlands ? a botanical point of interest and the enclave with the highest ornithological diversity in the Pitiusan Islands.
The seabeds that characterise Formentera?s shores are home to the largest posidonia fields in the Mediterranean, another important aspect of the eco-system.