Brava: Associação Biflores intends to publish a scientific article on the endemic plants of the island until December

The environmental association Biflores intends to publish, later this year, a scientific article on the endemic plants existing on the island of Brava, in partnership with Fauna and Flora Internacional.

The announcement was made to Inforpress by Ivanildo Correia, a member of the association, explaining that this article complements the inventory of the survey of endemic plants on the island, where three species were found, including the Dragoeiro (Dracaena Draco), Marmulano (Sideroxylon Marginata) and Date palm (Phoenix Atlântica).

This article includes information about these three plants that were inventoried as a cartographic survey among other necessary aspects.

According to the association's spokesperson, this is the first scientific article being carried out in this area, on Brava and in Cape Verde.

And, he added that according to the information he has received from Fauna and Flora Internacional, this article could be completed by the end of this year, about to be published on international digital platforms.

The objective of the article, for Ivanilson Correia, is to “make the maximum disclosure” of the three endemic plants and “encourage” other entities to do the same on other islands, where they still do not have a record or articles about these plants.

With this article, Ivanilson Correia argues that there will be better environmental regulation on the island, because, for him, “when there is something that is internationally recognized, people tend to give more value”.

He also pointed out that when they were carrying out the inventory, many did not have knowledge of the existence of these plants and especially of their importance, since, he added, “the island is the only one that does not have a protected area”.

Asked why the island does not have such an area, the official said that at the time the Government was creating these areas, "they claimed that there were transport difficulties and that the island was degraded".

According to Ivanilson Correia “it is in this sense that the association is working and fighting for the island to have environmental preservation and, perhaps, to have a protected area for the three endemic plants”.

The inventory was made in eights and the difficulties were many, listing the difficulty in identifying the Marmulano (Sideroxylon Marginata), which, according to the same, nowadays is only found in places of difficult access and it was only possible to identify it through of equipment for such and through geographic orientation.

He added that there were difficulties in surveying and identifying the date palm, since there are two varieties.

At the moment, the association is working together with a French counterpart, with the aim of carrying out a biological study to differentiate the type of date palm existing on the island. If it is the (Phoenix dactylifera) or date palm (Phoenix Atlântica).

People ask them to join this project, to each adopt an endemic plant, as a way of keeping the island and its endemic heritage protected and preserved.

Associação Biflores was created in 2016, with the mission of promoting and raising awareness in society on environmental issues; preservation of Biodiversity and the promotion of volunteering in different environmental aspects.

MCJMB

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