The Lagoa do Rabil (Rabil lagoon) is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

site in the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

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 Archi ...

, on the island of Boa Vista. It has been recognised as a wetland of international importance by designation under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

since 2005. The site lies at the mouth of the seasonally flowing

Ribeira do Rabil Ribeira do Rabil is a seasonal stream in the central and western part of the island of Boa Vista in Cape Verde. It is 27 km long, and its basin area is .

, near the town of

Rabil Rabil is a townCabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015

on the west coast of Boa Vista. The site comprises the river mouth, the associated

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

, the surrounding dunes system and its vegetation dominated by ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...

'', ''

Cyperus ''Cyperus'' is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. Description They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving w ...

'', ''

Zygophyllum ''Zygophyllum'' is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν (''zygon''), meaning "double", and φυλλον (''phyllon''), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves, ...

'' and ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

'' species. The site supports a population of

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. ...

s and several species of waders, including

Eurasian spoonbill The Eurasian spoonbill (''Platalea leucorodia''), or common spoonbill, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The genus name ''Platalea'' is from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the b ...

. The endemic

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s ''

Hemidactylus bouvieri ''Hemidactylus bouvieri'', also known commonly as Bouvier's leaf-toed gecko and the Cape Verde leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands and is listed as critically endange ...

'' and ''

Chioninia stangeri ''Chioninia stangeri'' (English common name: Stanger's skink) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. Geographic range ''C. stangeri'' is found on the islands of São Vicente, Santa L ...

'' are present.

References

Important Bird Areas of Cape Verde Geography of Boa Vista, Cape Verde Ramsar sites in Cape Verde {{CapeVerde-geo-stub