The Salso Lake Oasis is part of the district of wetlands of Capitanata, the most important ones in the South of Italy.
It covers an area of around 1.000 hectares in total divided into 541 hectares of marsh, and 500 dry pasture and wet meadows.
The wetland is, in turn, divided into three valli (a valle is an artificial basin used for fishfarming),Valle Alta, Valle di Mezzo and Salso Lake, which are of different depths: usually under a metre according to the season and management needs in the first two pools; between 50 and 150/170 cm in the Salso Lake. The valli are almost completely colonised by reed beds with some small areas of open water (the so-called "Chiari").
In addition to being included in the perimeter of the Gargano National Park, the Salso Lake Oasis is also part of a wider area (Site of Community Importance - SCI e Special Protection Area - SPA) which is fundamental from the naturalistic point of view according to European legislation.
It therefore forms an important piece of a district of wetlands and extensive agricultural terrain, with an overall natural-environmental value of exceptional importance.
Since the ban on hunting, over the years and still today, numerous activities aimed at the conservation of the most threatened animal species present in Puglia are being carried out, through the initiation of projects financed by the European Union (LIFE) and the Puglia Regional Authority (the Regional Operative Programme Funds - POR).