Ilhéus do Rombo (6145)
Cape Verde, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Ilhéus do Rombo

Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.9667, Longitude: -24.6667

Elevation (m): 0 to 96

Area of KBA (km²): 2.79969

Protected area coverage (%): 100.00

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The Ilhéus do Rombo, situated north-east of the island of Brava, consist of two main islets of low elevation, Ilhéu Grande (3 km²) and Ilhéu de Cima (1.5 km²), and several smaller rocks and stacks. All are barren or almost so, and only the larger islets support scattered, sparse, grassy vegetation. The group is uninhabited, but Ilhéu Grande has been used by goat-farmers and whalers in the past. Ilhéu de Cima is famous for its seabird colonies, but no seabirds breed on Ilhéu Grande, although there must have been large colonies once, as thick layers of guano are present.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mediterranean Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and global threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. The most abundant breeding species on Ilhéu de Cima is Pelagodroma marina (several thousand burrows in 1989) followed, in numerical order, by Puffinus (assimilis) boydi, Oceanodroma castro and Bulweria bulwerii. The large numbers of Sula leucogaster and Phaethon aethereus (1,000s and 100s respectively) reported 100 years ago have declined dramatically, due to excessive human predation. In 1986–1990 there were only 50 pairs of S. leucogaster and 5–10 pairs of P. aethereus remaining. Little is known of the birds breeding on the rocks and stacks; some (e.g. Ilhéu Luiz Carneiro) are known to hold small numbers of O. castro, S. leucogaster and P. aethereus. Among landbirds, Ilhéu de Cima is a breeding site of the rare endemic Falco (peregrinus) madens, of which nests were found in the mid-1960s. The total population is not thought to exceed 15–20 pairs. Non-bird biodiversity: Turtles (species undetermined) are known to lay on the small, sandy beaches of Ilhéu de Cima.

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Due to continuous human persecution, the populations of Sula leucogaster and Phaethon aethereus on Ilhéu de Cima have almost been wiped out and only small remnants persist today. Some Pelagodroma marina and Puffinus (assimilis) boydi are probably also taken, but a more serious threat appears to be the trampling and collapse of burrows when fishermen visit the islet to collect Sula leucogaster and Phaethon aethereus or to search for shellfish and debris on the coast. Due to the presence of goats and the activities of whalers on Ilhéu Grande, its seabird colonies were eliminated years ago. The Ilhéus do Rombo were designated a Nature Reserve in 1990, but because there are no wardens or other means of enforcing the law, fishermen continue to visit the islets and plunder the seabird colonies.

Additional information