Between four and five thousand people visit the Desertas Islands every year.
This data was revealed by Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture, who visited Deserta Grande today to mark the 35th anniversary of the Desertas Islands Nature Reserve.
Visits that are only authorised upon prior registration on the Simplifica portal.
The Desertas Islands have been legally protected since 1990, with the creation of the Special Protection Area. The main motivation for the protection of these islands was the urgent need to preserve a small colony of Mediterranean monk seal, commonly known as fur seals, whose conservation project began in 1988. Since then, these islands have been permanently manned and protected by the Nature Rangers Corps.Â
There are approximately 30 fur seals living around the Desertas.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
