History and Highlights of “Ilhas Selvagens”
v This archipelago was discovered in 1438 by the Portuguese Diogo Gomes Sintra. It is located in the extreme South of the Portuguese territory and is part of Madeira Natural Park. We chose Selvagem Grande to be our base. It has the following coordinates: Latitude: 30º 08' 40" N / Longitude: 15º 52’50” W, maximum altitude: 135 meters. Its distance from the city of Porto is 1,385 Km.
v These islands are widely known for its biodiversity and they are an excellent habitat for migratory birds.
v The local fauna and flora are quite different from the ones of the remaining Portuguese territory.
v They were classified as Natural Reserve in 1971 and were one of the first natural reserves in Portugal. It’s the only Portuguese natural reserve awarded with the most important European diploma, the “European Diploma of Protected Areas” of the Council of Europe.
v The archipelago is under permanent surveillance since 1976 and it was assigned to the Madeira Natural Park in 1989 that is responsible for its management since that date.
v They gather all the essential criteria to be considered as a Biosphere Reserve. We hope they can soon be included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
v If they succeed, this may be useful in the international promotion and recognition of the importance of biological diversity, of the species, ecosystems and the landscapes of the archipelago. They will also able to get new possibilities and conditions for successful scientific research projects.
v They are part of Natura Network 2000.
v They are a small archipelago belonging to the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
v They are located a 250 kilometers south of Funchal (Madeira) and 250 kilometers west of the African coast.
v Like almost all the islands of Macaronesia they are volcanic in origin. The archipelago is formed by two main islands and a group of islets.