The wildlife of Cape Verde is spread over its

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

of ten islands and three

islets An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

, which all have parks under their jurisdiction by decree promulgated by the Cape Verde government. Located off the west coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the total land area of the island nation is . The wildlife consists of many tropical dry forest and shrub land, endemic flora and fauna, and rare breeding seabirds and plants, which are unique to this group of islands. Some of the wildlife species of Cape Verde are considered as endemic, evolving over millions of years of isolation; the grey-headed kingfisher (''Halcyon leucocephala'') survived here on insects in the absence of water in the lands of the islands. In the process of development, many lands in the islands were converted to agricultural fields and several hundred varieties of

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

and tree species were introduced, resulting in depletion of the original vegetation. However, efforts are now underway at

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debat ...

to improve the wildlife of Cape Verde, with reported planting of three million new trees every year (about 7000 per day), with

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

and acacia as the prominent varieties being planted. Cape Verde is also one of the world's top ten

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

Biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...

Geography

The Cape Verde archipelago, a cluster of 10 islands and three islets located in the eastern

Atlantic Ocean 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 ...

at a distance of off the coast of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

, are

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

in origin. Cape Verde is divided into two areas: the southern leeward islands known as the

Sotavento Islands The Sotavento Islands ( Portuguese: ''Ilhas de Sotavento'', literally, the ''Leeward Islands'') is the southern island group of the Cape Verde archipelago.Barlavento Islands The Barlavento Islands ( Portuguese: ''Ilhas de Barlavento'', literally, the ''Windward Islands'') is the northern group of the Cape Verde archipelago.Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista, and the Sotavento Islands of Maio,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

(the largest with an area of 991 km2), Fogo (with the only active volcano), and

Brava Brava or La Brava may refer to: Geography *Brava, Cape Verde, a volcanic island *Brava, Costa Rica, an island of Costa Rica (Isla Brava) *Costa Brava, a coastal area Mediterranean of northeast Spain * Barawa, a town in Somalia commonly known as ' ...

. Nine of these islands which are inhabited have mountainous areas whereas the other islands have flat topography with sandy beaches. There are trees typical of both temperate and tropical climates, depending on elevation, which have created different types of flora and fauna. Given its geographical isolation, it exhibits a unique

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

with endemic plant and vertebrate species, particularly birds and reptiles. It is also inferred that

arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

with no sources of surface fresh water and geographic remoteness are the reasons for the islands limited wildlife diversity. As of 2003, there were 48 protected areas covering 0.3% of the islands land mass. The Cape Verde islands are a very degraded area. Due to proximity to the Sahara, most of the Cape Verde islands are dry, but on islands with high mountains and farther away from the coast, the humidity is much higher, giving a rainforest habitat that is very degraded by the strong human presence. Northeastern slopes of high mountains often receive a lot of rain while Southwest slopes are much drier. This umbria areas are identified with cool and moisture. Some islands, as Santiago with steep mountains, are covered with vegetation where the dense

moisture Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some commercial products. Moisture also refers to the amount of water vapo ...

condenses and soaks the plants, rocks, soil, logs, moss etc. The laurel forest is a type of cloud forest that has developed on

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

s, where the dense

from the sea or ocean, is precipitated by the action of the relief. The terrain forces up wet and warm air masses, which cool and decreases the

dew point The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor, assuming constant air pressure and water content. When cooled below the dew point, moisture capacity is reduced and airborne water vapor will cond ...

, causing moisture to condense and fall as rain or fog. This creates a habitat that is cool, saturating air and soil with moisture. Deserto Viana, Boa Vista

Protected areas

The protected areas declared under the Official Gazette of Cape Verde, in February 2003 are: In Santo Antão Island the protected areas are Moroços – Natural Park, Cova/Ribeira Paúl/Torre – Natural Park, Cruzinha – Natural Reserve, Pombas – Protected Landscape and Tope de Coroa – Natural Park. São Vicente Island has the Monte Verde – Natural Park. Branco and Raso Islets – Integrated Reserve is the natural reserve in Santa Luzia Island. São Nicolau Island has Monte Gordo Natural Park and Monte do Alto das Cabaças Natural Reserve. Sal Island has 11 protected areas namely, the Salinas de Pedra Lume and Cagarral – Protected Landscape, the Monte Grande – Protected Landscape, the Rabo de Junco – Natural Reserve, the Baía da Murdeira – Natural (Marine) Reserve, the Costa da Fragata – Natural Reserve, the Serra Negra – Natural Reserve, the Buracona-Ragona – Protected Landscape, the Salinas de Santa Maria – Protected Landscape, the Morrinho do Filho –Natural Monument, the Ponta do Sino – Natural Reserve, the Morrinho do Açucar – Natural Monument. In Maio Island protected are the Terras Salgadas – Natural Reserve, Casas Velhas – Natural Reserve, Barareiro e Figueira – Natural Park, Lagoa Cimidor – Natural Reserve, Praia do Morro – Natural Reserve, Salinas de Porto Inglês – Protected Landscape, Monte Penoso e Monte Branco – Protected Landscape and Monte Santo António – Protected Landscape. Boa Vista Island has the largest number of parks and natural monuments. These are: The Boa Esperança – Natural Reserve; the Ilhéu de Baluarte – Integrated Natural Reserve, the Ilhéu dos Pássaros – Integrated Natural Reserve, the Ilhéu de Curral Velho – Integrated Natural Reserve, the Ponta do Sol – Natural Reserve, the Tartaruga – Natural Reserve, the Natural Park do Norte – Natural Park, the Monte Caçador e Pico Forçado – Protected Landscape; the Morro de Areia – Natural Reserve; the Curral Velho – Protected Landscape; the Monte Santo António –Natural Monument; the Ilhéu de Sal-Rei – Natural Monument; the Monte Estância – Natural Monument; and the Rocha Estância – Natural Monument. The Santiago Island has two preserved areas in the Serra da Malagueta – Natural Park and the Serra Pico de Antónia – Natural Park. The Fogo Island has Bordeira, Chã das Caldeiras e Pico Novo Natural Park. The Rombo Islets have an Integrated Reserve. With a view to preserve the marine ecosystems and develop fisheries pragmatically, the action initiated included creation of Marine reserves: Santa Luzia Island, and the Islets Raso and Branco, Boavista, Sal and Maio Islands; and Conservation of Cape Verde Endangered Marine Species Project.

Flora

Historically, Cape Verde was probably not rich with greenery, although the evidence of the situation in earlier times is severely lacking. When Cape Verde was first discovered and colonized by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

in the 15th century, the wildlife consisted mainly of dry forests and scrub habitat, which underwent a sea change under the influence of the inhabitants of this then isolated and uninhabited group of islands. The endemic flora and fauna of the islands were disturbed and have now remained confined mostly in the mountain peaks, steep slopes and other inaccessible areas. Vegetation in the islands is basically of the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

h or steppe type. There are trees typical of both temperate and tropical climates, depending on elevation. The flatter parts of the islands sustain semi-desert plants while the higher lands have arid shrubland. The leeward slopes tend to contain desert, with a very sparse shrub cover, mostly thorny or toxic. A number of

xerophilous A xerophile () is an extremophilic organism that can grow and reproduce in conditions with a low availability of water, also known as water activity. Water activity (aw) is measured as the humidity above a substance relative to the humidity above p ...

plants grow in the brackish subsoil of Maio, Sal, and Boa Vista. There are 664 listed plant species, which include two threatened species. Over 80 vascular plant taxa are reported to be endemic to Cape Verde; these include '' Tornabenea'', '' Aeonium gorgoneum'', '' Campanula bravensis'' (bellflower), '' Nauplius smithii'', ''

Artemisia gorgonum ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae, endemic to Cape Verde. Its local name is ''losna'' or ''lasna''. The plant plays a role in traditional medicine. Description ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is an aromatic ...

'' (sagebrush), ''

Sideroxylon marginata ''Sideroxylon marginatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, where it is a mesophytic species whose habitat is now limited to steep escarpments and inaccessible places. It is thre ...

'', ''

Lotus jacobaeus ''Lotus jacobaeus'' is a species of flowering plant of the family Fabaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terrestre ...

'', ''

Lavandula rotundifolia ''Lavandula rotundifolia'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Lamiaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales ...

'', '' Sarcostemma daltonii'', ''

Euphorbia tuckeyana ''Euphorbia tuckeyana'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Euphorbiaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animale ...

'', ''

Polycarpaea gayi ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' and ''

Erysimum caboverdeanum ''Erysimum caboverdeanum'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Brassicaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animal ...

'' (wallflower). Several trees are indigenous such as the blue-green flat-topped dragon tree ''

Dracaena draco ''Dracaena draco'', the Canary Islands dragon tree or drago, is a subtropical tree in the genus '' Dracaena'', native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and is thought to be introduced in the Azores. Its closest living ...

'', ''

Tamarix senegalensis ''Tamarix senegalensis'' is a species of flowering plants of the Tamaricaceae family. It is a tree or twiggy shrub, that grows in saline soil, sandy desert and sea-shore. Description ''Tamarix senegalensis'' is a large shrub, reaching 2-5 metre ...

'', ''

Phoenix atlantica ''Phoenix atlantica'' (common name Cape Verde Island date palm, local name: ''tamareira'') is an endangered species in the palm family Arecaceae, in the genus '' Phoenix''. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. Overview ''Phoenix atlantica' ...

'' (''tamareira''), in the lagoons and deserts of Boavista, the

ironwood tree Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in E ...

and a species of

fig tree ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending ...

and ''

Faidherbia albida ''Faidherbia'' is a genus of leguminous plants containing one species, ''Faidherbia albida'', which was formerly widely included in the genus ''Acacia'' as ''Acacia albida''. The species is native to Africa and the Middle East and has also been ...

'' (formerly known as ''Acacia albida'' and locally called simply "acácia"). As a result of extensive tree planting since 1975, there are

trees,

s and

s on the cool peaks of Santo Antao,

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

on the heights of Fogo, and forests of acacia on Maio.

Fauna

The island has five mammals out of which three are threatened, 75 species of birds including 2 threatened species, 19 reptiles, 132 varieties of fish species including one threatened species. However, the islands do not have snakes and large mammals.

Mammals

The only indigenous mammal found in the island is the

grey long-eared bat The grey long-eared bat (''Plecotus austriacus'') is a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It hunts above woodland, often by day, and mostly for moths. In captivity, it has also been recorded t ...

(''Plecotus austriacus''). Bat species on the islands account for about 20% of all mammals. Of particular note are those of the family

Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat famili ...

Savi's pipistrelle Savi's pipistrelle (''Hypsugo savii'' sometimes classified as ''Pipistrellus savii'') is a species of vesper bat found across North West Africa, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. It feeds at night on flying insects. In the summer it ro ...

(''Hypsugo savii'') and Kuhl's pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus kuhlii'') in addition to the grey long-eared bat.

Feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of goats, all of which stem from the wild goat ...

s are found on Fogo, the descendants of domestic goats introduced by the Portuguese. Rodent populations were introduced by the Portuguese from early ships which visited the islands. Monkeys are also present in Cape Verde, hailing from the African continent. The

slender mongoose The common slender mongoose (''Herpestes sanguineus''), also known as the black-tipped mongoose or the black-tailed mongoose, is a very common mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy The scientific name ''Herpestes sanguineus'' ...

(''Galerella sanguinea'') has also been introduced.

Birds

Cape Verde has many species of endemic birds, which are observed by keen

ornithologists __NOTOC__ This is a list of ornithologists who have articles, in alphabetical order by surname. See also :Ornithologists. A * John Abbot – US * Clinton Gilbert Abbott – US * William Louis Abbott – US * Joseph H. Acklen – US *Humayun Ab ...

and bird watchers on the islands. 130 migrant birds are reported to visit the islands, out of which over 40 nest there. The seabirds which breed on the island are: Fea's petrel,

magnificent frigatebird The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, bet ...

and

red-billed tropicbird The red-billed tropicbird (''Phaethon aethereus'') is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wi ...

. Four species of birds, (

Alexander's swift The Cape Verde swift or Alexander's swift (''Apus alexandri'') is a small bird of the swift family found only in the Cape Verde Islands. It has been recorded from all the islands except Santa Luzia although it probably breeds only on Santiago, ...

, the

Raso lark The Raso lark (''Alauda razae'') is a small passerine bird with a highly restricted range, being found only on Raso islet in the Cape Verde Islands. This critically endangered member of the family Alaudidae lives in very arid terrain, and is co ...

, the Cape Verde swamp-warbler and the

Iago sparrow The Iago sparrow (''Passer iagoensis''), also known as the Cape Verde or rufous-backed sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde archipelago, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean near western Africa ...

) are also endemic here, while the

Cape Verde shearwater The Cape Verde shearwater (''Calonectris edwardsii''), or cagarra locally, is a medium-large shearwater, a seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae. It is Endemism in birds, endemic to the Cape Verde archipelago of Macaronesia in the Atlantic ...

is a breeding endemic. The endemic and endangered

Bourne's heron Bourne's heron (''Ardea purpurea bournei''), also known as the Cape Verde heron, Cape Verde purple heron or Santiago heron, or locally in Portuguese as the ''garça vermelha'', is an endangered subspecies of the purple heron that is endemic to ...

is sometimes considered a full species. Also common are the

greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe. Taxonomy The greater flamingo was desc ...

and the

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

. There is also an extinct species of quail ''Coturnix centensis'' from the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

of São Vicente Island.

Lizards

Lizards reported on the islands are 15 species including 12 endemic species, such as the now extinct Cape Verde giant skink ('' Macroscincus coctei'') on

Ilhéu Raso Ilhéu Raso is an uninhabited Resolução nº 36/2016
Estratégia e Plano Nacional de Neg� ...

, giant gecko ('' Tarentola gigas'') on Raso and Branco islands,

Mabuya ''Mabuya'' is a genus of long-tailed skinks restricted to species from various Caribbean islands. They are primarily carnivorous, though many are omnivorous. The genus is viviparous, having a highly evolved placenta that resembles that of euther ...

skinks (6 species), ''

Hemidactylus __NOTOC__ ''Hemidactylus'' is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has 189 described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtrop ...

'' (3 species) and

Tarentola ''Tarentola'' is a genus of geckos, commonly known as wall geckos. They are native to lands on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean; on the western side they can be found in the West Indies, while on the eastern side they can be found in mainland A ...

geckos (11 species).

Invertebrates

Cape Verde has a reported 58 endemic species of

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

, including '' Wesolowskana lymphatica'' (jumping spider), and '' Hottentotta caboverdensis'', a

parthenogenetic Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

. It has a reported 15 endemic genera and 369 endemic species of insects. Of note are '' Ceylalictus capverdensis'' (bee), '' Thyreus denolii'' (cuckoo bee), '' Thyreus batelkai'' (cuckoo bee), '' Thyreus schwarzi'' (cuckoo bee), '' Thyreus aistleitneri'' (cuckoo bee), '' Chiasmognathus batelkai'' (cuckoo bee), '' Monomorium boltoni'' (ant), '' Scopula paneliusi'' (geometrid moth) and '' Serranegra petrophila'', a true bug in the family

Lygaeidae The Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), with more than 110 genera in four subfamilies. The family is commonly referred to as seed bugs, and less commonly, milkweed bugs, or ground bugs. However, while many of the species feed on ...

There also are endemic marine species, including molluscs such as '' Favartia burnayi'', '' Nassarius caboverdensis'', '' Prunum sauliae'', the cone shell '' Conus josephinae'' and the Cape Verde spiny lobster, '' Palinurus charlestoni''

Marine life

Green turtle swimming over coral reefs in Kona

The tropical marine environment of the Cape Verde islands of Boavista, Sal and Maio is reported to have a high diversity of sea life. Boavista is part of the Macaronesia Wetlands.

Coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

are also found extensively in Cape Verde, considered as one of the "world’s ten most important coral reefs". There is a large number of endemic marine gastropods ( sea snails and

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary time ...

s) on the coasts of Cape Verde. Marine species reported are bridled dolphin,

Atlantic spotted dolphin The Atlantic spotted dolphin (''Stenella frontalis'') is a dolphin found in warm temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their bodies. Taxonomy The Atl ...

, long-beaked common dolphin,

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...

, Blainville's beaked whale, common porpoise,

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

's,

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

s and

marine turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead ...

s (5 species).

Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s migrate across 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 ...

to breed from May to October. The most prominent species is the endangered

loggerhead sea turtle The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...

(''Caretta caretta''). Other species of turtle are the hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricate'') which is critically endangered; the green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), endangered;

leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weight ...

(''Dermochelys coriacea'') and

olive ridley sea turtle The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in ...

(''Lepidochelys olivacea''). Hunting of sea turtles remains prevalent per an

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

report, however turtle conservation measures began in 2008. Eighteen species of whales and dolphins have been recorded in the waters of the Cape Verde archipelago. The area is cited as one of two known breeding grounds for the humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') of the Northern Hemisphere. Humpback whales migrate annually from the North Sea to winter around Cape Verde from January to mid-May. The humpback whale population became limited due to severe overfishing during the 19th century and, although the total North Atlantic population of humpbacks had rebounded to more than 10,000 individuals by 1993, the Cape Verde population remained uncertain as of 2009.

Threats and legal redress

The status of biological resources of Cape Verde, in the process of degradation, was recognized in 1996 which prompted action in 2005 with several legal instruments that were introduced by the government of Cape Verde. In spite of all the legislation, the level of degradation reported in the

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

was "26% for angiosperms, over 40% of bryophytes, over 65% of pteridophytes and over 29% of lichens are threatened; furthermore, over 47% of birds, 25% of terrestrial reptiles, 64% of coleopterous, over 57% of arachnids and over 59% of terrestrial mollusks." The number count of ''Alauda razae'' (Calhandra-do-Ilhéu-Raso) and ''Himantopus himantopus'' (Perna-longa) has still shown a declining trend. Further, with a view to preserve the marine ecosystems and develop fisheries pragmatically the action initiated included creation of Marine reserves: Santa Luzia Island, and the Islets Raso and Branco, Boavista, Sal and Maio Islands; and Conservation of Cape Verde Endangered Marine Species Project. ;Organizations Institutions and organizations involved with the preservation and conservation of the biodiversity of Cape Verde are: The Directorate General of Agriculture, Forest and Livestock Production, the Institute for the Development of Fisheries (INDP), the

University of Cape Verde The University of Cape Verde ( pt, Universidade de Cabo Verde, abbreviated "Uni-CVV") is the only public university of Cape Verde. The main campus is in Palmarejo, Praia, but there are also institutes in Mindelo, Assomada and São Jorge dos Ór ...

's National Institute of Agricultural Research and Development (INIDA) an
Project Biodiversity
Noting that the exclusive biological species of Cape Verde are not represented in any

germplasm Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, t ...

banks across the world and that its fauna and flora of Cape Verde are extremely vulnerable to climate adversities with the natural regenerative conditions considered as poor, INIDA has established "a collection of biological resources for ex situ conservation as a means of backing in situ conservation of species threatened in some way, as they may be introduced in the wild as needs be, in sites where they are best adapted, through a finely tuned reintroduction program."

References

External links

www.caboverde.com
{{Cape Verde topics Biota of Cape Verde Cape Verde