On the short Slovenian Coast there are today only few coastal wetlands, pertaining to the short deltas of the Istrian rivers and brooks. At one time there were more, as the delta marshes and bays were shaped into the salt pans, which were to be found on the verges of all the coastal towns (salt pans in Koper, Izola, Strunjan, Lucija and Sečovlje).
 
Nowadays the salt pans exist only in Strunjan and Sečovlje, beside these can be considered as the coastal marsh wetlands the Strunjan lagoons (Stjuža and Pretočna), both Fiesa lakes, Škocjan marshes and the delta of river Rižana. All the Slovenian coastal wetlands are thus the work of human endeavour, but still in concordance with nature.

The Sečovlje salt pans are today the largest coastal marsh wetlands (650 hectares), and at the same time the most important Slovenian locality from the ornithological point of view. The variety of the bird species on this area, under the aspect of nesting and wintering, is much larger than on any other comparable locality of the kind. Until present date the 288 species were ascertained, of which in the wider surrounding area 90 are nesting.

In 2001, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia proclaimed the area of Sečovlje Salina a nature park and Museum of Salt-making a cultural monument of national importance. In 1993, the Salina became the first Slovene wetland, inscribed on the list of internationally important marshes under the auspices of the Ramsar Convention. At same time the salt pans are extremely important as an extraordinary assortment of various ecosystems, combined of transition forms between sea water, brackish, fresh water and land ecosystems.