Current view: Text account
Site description (2022 baseline):
Site location and context
Laje Branca Islet is a small uninhabited islet near the north coast of Maio Island, with a maximum of 5 meters of altitude and an area of about 0.05 km². It lies about 350 metres from the coast. It is located within the Norte da Ilha do Maio Natural Park, which covers the most northern part of Maio island and is the largest protected area on the island, covering 25,601 hectares (consisting of 4,643 ha in land and 20,887 ha of water). At a national level, this park is the second largest natural park due to its total dimensions, covering the most important temporary wetland area and one of the two hotspots for marine biodiversity on the island. The islet of Laje Branca also houses a unique colony of Pelagodroma marina eadesorum.
MAVA Foundation. Site identified during the MAVA funded project: "Conserving the seabirds of Cabo Verde" (2020 - 2022). Partner consultation supported by Ana Veiga (BirdLife Project Manager, Cabo Verde) and Jonathan Handley (BirdLife, UK). Site identification supported by: Samir Martins (BIOS.CV), Herculano Dinis (Projecto Vitó), Albert Taxonera (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Marcos Hernández (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Isabel Fortes (Biosfera), Catelene Monteiro (Biosfera), Pedro Geraldes (SPEA ), Ariana Cabral (Lantuna), Jacob González-Solís (University of Barcelona), Teresa Militão (University of Barcelona), Vitor Paiva (University of Coimbra).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Laje Branca Islet (Cape Verde). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/laje-branca-islet--iba-cape-verde on 23/11/2024.
