A remarkable landscape in western Sicily is moving closer to international recognition. The Saline di Sicilia have received approval from Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to advance their candidacy for UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere – MaB – program as a Biosphere Reserve.
The proposed area stretches for about 30 kilometers along Sicily’s western coast, encompassing the historic salt pans and wetlands around Trapani, Marsala, Misiliscemi and Paceco. Here, centuries of human activity have created an unusual ecosystem in which traditional sea-salt production and biodiversity coexist.
The candidacy is particularly significant because, if ultimately approved by UNESCO in Paris, the Sicilian salt pans would become the first human-made coastal wetland recognized within the MaB network.
The initiative was launched by the Trapani Chamber of Commerce and is supported by a broad coalition including the Sicilian regional government, local municipalities, the Free Municipal Consortium of Trapani and WWF Italy. The formal process began in January 2025, following preliminary work launched in November 2024.
Italy’s national MaB technical commission has now endorsed the proposal after reviewing the final dossier in Rome. The next step is to complete the English version and submit the documentation to UNESCO in Paris by the end of September.
Beyond its environmental importance, the candidacy celebrates a landscape shaped by generations of salt workers. The salt pans form a mosaic of shallow basins, canals and wetlands that provide habitats for numerous bird species while preserving an ancient productive tradition.
For Sicily, UNESCO recognition could strengthen sustainable tourism, environmental protection and local economic development – while giving global visibility to one of the Mediterranean’s most distinctive cultural landscapes.
