Ilhéu Branco (6146)
Cape Verde, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Ilhéu Branco

Central coordinates: Latitude: 16.6585, Longitude: -24.6768

Elevation (m): 0 to 327

Area of KBA (km²): 15.46229

Protected area coverage (%): 33.84

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The island is a large, oblong rock, rising precipitously from the sea to a height of 327 m. A ridge runs the length of the island, dropping steeply to the coast which, with the exception of an area of dunes on the western side and a small area of level ground in the extreme east, is entirely rocky. The seas around the island are turbulent for much of the year, making landing difficult.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. 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 for key species. Branco is one of the major sites for breeding seabirds in the Cape Verdes. Together with the nearby islet of Raso (site CV011), it holds the main breeding population of Calonectris (diomedea) edwardsii, and there are also significant numbers of Puffinus (assimilis) boydi and Oceanodroma castro, and a colony (c.250 pairs) of Pelagodroma marina. Other breeding taxa include Egretta garzetta, Pandion haliaetus, Falco (tinnunculus) neglectus and Tyto (alba) detorta; the rare Falco (peregrinus) madens is suspected to breed. Non-bird biodiversity: The endemic giant skink Macroscincus coctei (males up to c.65 cm in length), which only occurred on Branco and Raso and lived alongside the breeding seabirds in clefts and holes, is considered extinct. It has not been seen since the early twentieth century and is thought to have been wiped out through over-exploitation. Its skin was used for making shoes, while ‘criminals’ marooned on Branco in the past by the colonial Portuguese authorities, and who had to fend for themselves, caught them for food, as did visiting fishermen. The endemic giant gecko Tarentola gigas is still present in good numbers.

Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The island was designated a Nature Reserve by law in 1990 and may now only be visited under special permit. In practice, however, the law is difficult to enforce: large numbers of young Calonectris (diomedea) edwardsii are still taken for food every year, and trampling of burrows of Pelagodroma marina often occurs when fishermen visit the island in search of shellfish and debris. To prevent further over-exploitation of C. (diomedea) edwardsii, some form of wardening during the critical period (September–October, just before fledging) is necessary.

Additional information