Škocjan Inlet, Coastal nature reserve in Koper, Slovenia.

Škocjan Inlet is a brackish wetland by Koper, formed where the Badaševica meets the Adriatic. It has two parts: a shallow lagoon with a muddy bottom and halophyte stands, and the freshwater Bertoški bonifiki marsh with wet meadows, open water, reeds and thermophilic shrubs. A 900-metre embankment built in 1957 separates it from the city.

Industrial development plans threatened to destroy this inlet in the 1980s, but Slovenia designated it as a protected reserve in 1998. This legal protection saved the wetland from being drained or built upon.

The name Škocjanski zatok refers to the Škocjan inlet, and the reserve is managed by DOPPS, the Slovenian bird conservation society, which received the concession in 1999. The site is a stopover on bird migration routes and, because it does not freeze in winter, waterbirds use it for wintering and feeding. Two halophytes, Salicornia patula and Salicornia veneta, grow on the mudflats, and the sea three-square bulrush has its only Slovenian locality in the reed beds.

Observation towers and marked pathways throughout the reserve provide access to viewing areas without disturbing wildlife. Bring binoculars for bird watching and wear proper footwear since paths can be muddy or wet.

The saltwater marshes here shelter rare plant species that live at the edge of their natural range, making the site botanically unusual. This combination of coastal and brackish habitats in such close proximity is uncommon along the Adriatic coast.