Ilha dos Lobos is a small island and

wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast of

Torres, Rio Grande do Sul Torres is a city on the coast of south Brazil in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city has a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, of which 10,000 live in rural zones, but in summer the number of inhabitants reaches 300,000. Histor ...

, Brazil.

Location

Ilha dos Lobos is about offshore from the Praia Grande of the coastal city of

Torres Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname *Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott **Torres (album), ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas *Torres, Colorado, an un ...

on the northern shore of the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

. It is named after the

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

s (''grandes lobos marinhos'') who use the island for breeding between July and November. The island's highest point is . It has caused many shipwrecks in storms, including the ''Hawaii'' (1965). The island is a resting point for

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

migrating from

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

, and is a transit point for dolphins, whales, porpoises, sea turtles and birds.

Conservation

The Ilha dos Lobos Ecological Reserve was created on 4 July 1983 by presidential decree with an area of . This was revoked and the island was reclassified as a wildlife refuge on 4 July 2005, the Refúgio de vida silvestre Ilha dos Lobos. The reserve was created to protect and monitor marine species, for research and environmental education. Fishing or landing on the reserve is prohibited.

Recreational use

The island has started to attract surfers, who come by boat. They have found it is a giant point break with proper conditions for

Tow-in surfing Tow-in surfing is a surfing technique which uses artificial assistance to allow the surfer to catch faster moving waves than was traditionally possible when paddling by hand. Tow-in surfing was invented by surfers who wanted to catch big waves a ...

. Much of the effort to establish Ilha dos Lobos as an international class tow-in surf spot is credited to Torres Local Surf hero

Zeca Scheffer Zeca may refer to: * José Afonso (1929–1987), Portuguese folk and political musician also known mononymously as Zeca * Zeca (footballer, born 1946), full name Jose Luiz Ferreira Rodrigues, Brazilian football manager known mononymously as Zeca * ...

, who died in a car crash in Dec 2006. Surfing in this island is banned because of its conservation status by national laws. Although proper conditions are rare it is possible to dive around the island. File:Surfisla.JPG, Surfer riding wave on the vicinity of the island File:DESEMBARQUE NA ILHA DOS LOBOS - panoramio.jpg, Visitors to the island June 2008

References

Sources

* {{Authority control

Lobos Lobos is the headquarters city of the Lobos Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded on 2 June 1802 by José Salgado. Background Located 100 km from Buenos Aires, Lobos is currently a fertile agricultural area known ma ...

Landforms of Rio Grande do Sul Protected areas of Rio Grande do Sul Wildlife refuges of Brazil