Kapok tree, Boa Entrada (6142)
Cape Verde, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Kapok tree, Boa Entrada

Central coordinates: Latitude: 15.1167, Longitude: -23.6667

Elevation (m): 400 to 400

Area of KBA (km²): 1.83062

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site consists of a single, huge, 25-m-high kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra, near the village of Boa Entrada in Santa Catarina (Assomada) region on the island of Santiago. The area is intensively used for agricultural purposes, in particular for the cultivation of sugar-cane, and there are many mango Mangifera indica trees in the surrounding area. The kapok grows in the valley bottom, and a steep track leads down this valley from the town of Assomada.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. This site is, with CV007, one of only two known breeding colonies of the endemic Ardea (purpurea) bournei. Formerly, a third colony existed at São Domingos, but was destroyed when the trees used for nesting were felled in the early 1970s. In 1993, the total population of A. (purpurea) bournei numbered 20–25 pairs at most. Between 1988–1993, 4–6 pairs bred at this site, but in 1998–2000 this had declined to only 1–2 pairs. Nesting takes place in the crown of the tree. During the 1960s, nests were also found in mango trees not far from the kapok, but this has not been observed since. Acrocephalus brevipennis breeds in the area. Non-bird biodiversity: The kapok is easily the largest tree on the island of Santiago and, probably, the whole country; it is worthy of preservation even without the presence of the heron colony.

Habitats

Land use: tourism/recreation

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The tree, or at least the ground on which it stands, is privately owned and thus its survival is partly dependent upon the good will of the owner, although under national legislation it is illegal to cut down large trees. Although the tree lies in a rural area, it does attract international and national visitors at times. The heron colony itself is severely threatened by local disturbance, in particular by birds being shot at and by boys collecting eggs. Information leaflets about the tree and its herons have been distributed among the people in the area and similar actions should be continued, particularly among schoolchildren. An information board, explaining the importance of the site, should be erected. The possibility of renting or buying a small area, including the tree itself, ought to be investigated.

Additional information