Millions of years ago, the islands of Cabo-Verde emerged from the surface of the ocean as a result of submarine volcanic activity. Thus the wind, ocean currents and birds took over the task of providing the archipelago with indigenous animal and plant species.

Flora With the passage of time the plant species adapted to the geography and microclimates of the islands, to the draughts and the winds that sweep the archipelago, and became different from their precursors These specific species or genera, nearly ninety in all, are not to be found in any order part of the world and make up the species termed as endemic to Cabo-Verde.

From the written testimonies left by the first colonists who arrived on the archipelago it is known that it had abundant vegetation, thought it was without any forests rich in wood. Since that time, the effects of human activity on the island natural habitat has meant t hat indigenous vegtation suffered a dramatic alteration of the course of the last five hundred years.

Of this period of time fields of crops cultivated and natural watercourses dverted to irrigate them, and new plants

brought from the most diverse parts of the world were introduced, along with livestock. The cutting down of

trees and shrubs to use their wood, and grazing, especially by goats, took place at such a rate that the natural vegetation could not recover.

Since the independence of Cabo Verde, however,considerable efforts have been made ro retain soils, particularly by building dikes and by repopulating many slopes with trees a programme is also being carried out t o make the inhabitants of the archipelago more aware of the need to protect and

nurture native plant species, some of them now quite rare in Cabo-Verde.

Fauna Cabo-Verde has no ferocious or poisonous animals. The island of São Tiago has a community of monkeys that are not especially remarkable, while all the islands have mall indigenous reptiles, beetles and insects. These last do not carry any tropical diseases.

The most numerous representatives of fauna on the islands are the birds, some being migratory birds tha come temporarly from Europe and África, while others are resident. Many of these are marine birds which build their nests on the cliffs around the islands or islets.

A small but interesting book called "Birds of Cabo-Verde",on sale in the country, can help to identify them and their habitat.

The marine fauna of Cabo-Verde is rich

and diversified thanks to the clealiness and stable temperature of the waters and the existence of many oral platforms.

Notable amongst the great varietyof resident and migratory species are tuna, dolphins, sperm whales, common whales, and giant turtles which come up onto several isolated beaches of the archipelago during the months of July and Augst to lay their eggs.

The waters surrounding Cabo-Verde are home to a large number of crustaceans, most noteworthy amongst them being varieties of lobsters and molluscs, some speciments having beautiful shells.




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