Cape Verde is party to a number of international conventions including Biological Diversity, Desertification and Climate Change.
The first protected areas in Cape Verde were designated in 1990 under the National Parks and Protected Areas programme. The following were established as nature reserves: the uninhabited islands of Santa Luzia, Branco, Raso and Ilhéus do Rombo, as well as the islets of Ilhéu de Curral Velho and Ilhéu de Baluarte. These sites may now only be visited under special permit.
Seabirds, however, remain heavily exploited and chicks, eggs and some adult boobies, tropicbirds, petrels and shearwaters are harvested annually.
The following is an extract from ABC Bulletin Vol.11, No.1, March 2004, pages 7-8.
"The situation of several endemic breeding birds appears to be far from promising. Some are on the brink of extinction e.g. Cape Verde Purple Heron Ardea (purpurea) bournei, whilst others may already have gone e.g. Cape Verde Kite Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda. Thus far, projects to safeguard the rarer endemic birds have had little or no effect, conservation has not been a priority of the Cape Verde government, and environmental awareness among the local population is minimal or absent. The author concludes that we can only hope that attempts to raise local interest in these issues will be rewarded."