View source for Savage Islands

{{Short description|Macaronesian archipelago in the North Atlantic}}
{{Other uses|Selvagens Islands (disambiguation){{!}}Selvagens Islands}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Selvagens Islands
| native_name      = Ilhas Selvagens
| native_name_lang = 
| sobriquet        = 
| image_name       = Selvagem Pequena - 1ago04.jpg
| image_size       = 
| image_caption    = A reef along the coast of Selvagem Pequena, the smaller of the main islands
| image_alt        = 
| image_map        = Selvagens.png
| map_alt          = 
| map_size         = 
| map_caption      = Location of the Selvagens Islands in the Atlantic Ocean 
| coordinates      = {{Coord|30|08|26|N|15|52|09|W|type:isle|display=title}}
| etymology        = 
| location         = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| waterbody        = 
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 2.73
| area_footnotes   = 
| rank             = 
| length_km        = 
| length_footnotes = 
| width_km         = 
| width_footnotes  = 
| coastline_km        = 
| coastline_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 163
| elevation_footnotes = 
| highest_mount       = Pico da Atalaia
| country             = {{PRT}}
| country_admin_divisions_title    = [[Autonomous Regions of Portugal|Autonomous Region]]
| country_admin_divisions          = {{flag|Madeira}}
| country_admin_divisions_title_1  = [[Municipalities of Portugal|Municipality]]
| country_admin_divisions_1        = [[Funchal]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2  = [[Freguesia]]
| country_admin_divisions_2        = [[Sé (Funchal)|Sé]]
| demonym              = 
| population           = 0 (2000)
| timezone1            = 
| utc_offset1          = 
| timezone1_DST        = 
| utc_offset1_DST      = 
| website              = 
| additional_info      = Geographic detail from CAOP (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.igeo.pt/produtos/cadastro/caop/download/Areas_Freg_Mun_Dist_CAOP2010.zip|title=Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal|publisher=Instituto Geográfico Português|location=Lisbon, Portugal|language=pt|access-date=1 July 2011|year=2010|editor=IGP|archive-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703110142/http://www.igeo.pt/produtos/cadastro/caop/download/Areas_Freg_Mun_Dist_CAOP2010.zip|url-status=dead}}</ref> produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP)
}}

The '''Selvagens Islands''' ({{langx|pt|Ilhas Selvagens}} {{IPA|pt|ˈiʎɐʃ sɛlˈvaʒɐ̃jʃ|IPA}}; also known as the  '''Savage Islands'''<ref>[http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-3009603&fid=4815&c=portugal "Geographical Names"], National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, Maryland, USA</ref><ref>King, Dean & Hattendorf, John B., ''A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian'', Open Road Media, March 20, 2012</ref>) are a small [[Portugal|Portuguese]] archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, {{convert|280|km|round=5}} south of [[Madeira]] and {{convert|165|km|round=5}} north of the [[Canary Islands]].<ref name="A">[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1742/ "Ilhas Selvagens (Selvagens Islands)"]. UNESCO World HeritageSites</ref><ref name="B">Luís Carvalho, ''Nuno Leitão'' (2005)</ref> The archipelago includes two major islands, [[Selvagem Grande Island|Selvagem Grande]] and [[Selvagem Pequena Island|Selvagem Pequena]], each surrounded by a cluster of islets and reefs, with the total area of {{cvt|2.73|km2}}.<ref name="A"/> The archipelago is administered as part of the Portuguese municipality of [[Funchal]], belongs to the Madeiran [[freguesia|civil parish]] of [[Sé (Funchal)|Sé]], and is the [[List of extreme points of Portugal|southernmost point of Portugal]].

It was designated a natural reserve in 1971, recognising its role as a very important [[bird nest|nesting]] point for several species of birds. Since then, the susceptible bird populations (namely [[Cory's shearwater]]) and nearby waters have been more closely protected by the Portuguese government. Given its status, remoteness and few fresh water sources, the archipelago is today largely uninhabited. The only residents year-round are stationed on Selvagem Grande Island, which includes reserve staff and scientists conducting research on wildlife.<ref name="NatGeoReport">{{cite web|title=Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health of Ilhas Selvagens, Portugal|date=1 May 2016|url=https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasSelvagensScientificReport.pdf|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]|access-date=24 January 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806215409/https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasSelvagensScientificReport.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two rangers are also usually resident on Selvagem Pequena between May and October.<ref name="NatGeoReport"/> In May 2016, a  [[National Geographic Society]] scientific expedition prompted the extension of the marine reserve.<ref name="NatGeoReport"/>

==Geography==

[[File:Northern Savage Island, Atlantic Ocean.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photograph of the Northeastern Group, that includes [[Selvagem Grande Island|Selvagem Grande]]]]
[[File:Southern Savage Islands, Atlantic Ocean.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photograph of the Southwestern Group, includes several islets and [[Selvagem Pequena]]]]
The Selvagens Islands are part of [[Macaronesia]], which comprises several island groups in the [[North Atlantic Ocean]], near [[Europe]] and off the coast of [[Morocco]] in [[North Africa]]. The archipelago lies about {{convert|255|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from [[Madeira]] and {{convert|176|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the [[Canary Islands]]. The islands are considered to be a ''column branch''{{Explain|reason=Is this a standard geological term? Needs ref|date=June 2024}} that extends from the Canary Islands at depth of {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}. The total land area of the Selvagens Islands is {{convert|2.73|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on}}.
They have little fresh water and are surrounded by reefs (which make access difficult and dangerous). The archipelago consists of two major islands and several islets, in two groups about {{convert|15|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} apart, designated:

* Northeast Group – includes the main island of [[Selvagem Grande Island|Selvagem Grande]] ({{convert|2000|x|1700|m}}) and three small islets: Sinho Islet (Portuguese: ''Ilhéu Sinho''), Palheiro do Mar, and Palheiro da Terra.<ref name=ilhas>{{cite web |url=https://ilhasselvagens.blogs.sapo.pt/65739.html |title=As Ilhas Selvagens |publisher=José Lemos, Pedro Quartin Graça|access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref>
* Southwest Group – including the main island of [[Selvagem Pequena Island|Selvagem Pequena]] ({{convert|800|x|500|m}}) and [[Fora Islet]] (Portuguese: ''Ilhéu de Fora'', {{convert|500|x|300|m|abbr=on}}), also called Great Piton and Little Piton respectively,<ref name=ilhas /> it is surrounded by a group of very small islets (''Alto, Comprido'' and ''Redondo'') and a group collectively known as the Northern Islets (Portuguese: ''Ilhéus do Norte'').

The geological history of the archipelago can be traced to the [[Opening of the North Atlantic Ocean]] 200 mya, at the end of the [[Triassic]] period.<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/images/Doc_Artigos/IlhasSelvagens/POGIS.pdf |title=Revisão do plano de ordenamento e gestão das Ilhas Selvagens |publisher=Rede Natura 2000|access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref>

The islands' physical characteristics are the consequences of mountain-forming and volcanic forces that occurred between 60 and 70 million years ago,{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} typical of many of the islands of [[Macaronesia]]. The islands were created during the [[Oligocene]] period 29 million years ago, from a large submarine volcano generated by the [[Canary hotspot]] and shaped by erosion and marine sedimentation. The larger islands and islet (Grande, Pequena and Fora, respectively) are the remnants of the peaks of these submarine mounts, and although located north of the Canaries, they were never connected to the African continent or any other continental landmass.<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6217/ |title=Selvagens Islands |publisher=UNESCO|access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref>

The archipelago had 2 historic magmatic activity periods, one 29.5 mya and the other one 3.4 mya and two significant hiatuses between eruptions, the first lasted 12 million years and the second lasted 4.6 million years, a unique occurrence to oceanic [[volcanic islands]].<ref name=history />

The islands themselves are crossed by many [[calcareous]] faults, some marbleised, and made of [[basalt]]ic rock, ash, and other volcanic materials. On Selvagem Grande there are remnants of extinct cones, such as Atalaia, Tornozelos and Cabeço do Inferno.<ref name=history /> Other areas are sand covered from extensive aeolian, fluvial and marine erosion;<ref name=ilhas /> headlands include Atalaia and Leste on Selvagem Grande, and Norte, Oeste, Leste and Garajaus on Selvagem Pequena.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Beaches are uncommon in the islands, although Selvagem Pequena has some beaches of cobbles and coarse and medium sands.<ref name="NatGeoReport"/>

==Climate==
[[File:Farol selvagem grande.jpg|thumb|A view of the arid plateau of Selvagem Grande (with lighthouse at the top)]]
Though only as recently as 2016 was a meteorological station installed by [[IPMA]] on Selvagem Grande,<ref>{{cite web |title=Estação meteorológica mais a sul em território nacional - Selvagem Grande |url=https://www.ipma.pt/pt/media/noticias/news.detail.jsp?f=/pt/media/noticias/arquivo/2016/aws-ilhas-selvagens.html |website=ipma.pt |publisher=[[IPMA]] |access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref> the islands are regarded as having a mild subtropical [[desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BWh''), with temperatures warmer than those of Madeira. Due to their small size, the surrounding Atlantic and other exterior factors dictate the weather patterns felt throughout the year. Both [[Diurnal air temperature variation|diurnal]] and seasonal temperature variation are very low. The lack of any significant mountain range diminishes the amount of [[Orographic precipitation|orographically induced]] precipitation and its exposure to the cool [[Canary Current]] prevents the formation of [[Atmospheric convection|convective clouds]] for most of the year. Summers hover between {{convert|25|-|27|C}} during the day and {{convert|19|-|20|C}} during the night, and winters average around {{convert|21|-|23|C}} during the day and {{convert|12|-|13|C}} during the night.<ref>{{cite web |title=IPMA - Observação de superfície diária com gráficos |url=https://www.ipma.pt/pt/otempo/obs.superficie/index-map-dia-chart.jsp#Ilhas%20selvagens |website=www.ipma.pt |access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref> [[Saharan Air Layer|Saharan dust]] can occasionally come into contact with the islands, bringing much higher temperatures.<ref name=climate>{{cite web |title=Description: Climate |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6217/ |website=unesco.org |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref> Winds blowing from south-west can also bring exceptionally heavy rainfall.<ref>{{cite web |title=General information |url=http://selvagens.seawatching.net/general.html |publisher=selvagens.seawatching.net |access-date=3 November 2020}}</ref> The dominant wind direction is Northeast (NE).<ref name="wind" />

In the past these islands would have had a higher level of moisture than they do now, which may justify the presence of a large number of fossil shells of land snails (''[[Theba macandrewiana]]'') on the plateau of Selvagem Grande.<ref name=climate />

{{Weather box
|location = Selvagem Grande, 2017, 2018, 2020 & 2021, altitude: {{convert|150|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 21.7
|Feb record high C = 23.1
|Mar record high C = 26.2
|Apr record high C = 25.2
|May record high C = 25.0
|Jun record high C = 26.0
|Jul record high C = 25.6
|Aug record high C = 27.8
|Sep record high C = 27.9
|Oct record high C = 31.4
|Nov record high C = 25.1
|Dec record high C = 24.6
|year high C =

|Jan high C = 21.3
|Feb high C = 21.4
|Mar high C = 23.4
|Apr high C = 23.8
|May high C = 23.5
|Jun high C = 24.8
|Jul high C = 24.2
|Aug high C = 26.2
|Sep high C = 27.0
|Oct high C = 27.6
|Nov high C = 24.5
|Dec high C = 23.3

|Jan mean C = 17.0
|Feb mean C = 16.7
|Mar mean C = 17.3
|Apr mean C = 18.4
|May mean C = 19.1
|Jun mean C = 20.5
|Jul mean C = 21.4
|Aug mean C = 22.5
|Sep mean C = 23.0
|Oct mean C = 22.0
|Nov mean C = 19.9
|Dec mean C = 18.3
|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 12.7
|Feb low C = 11.9
|Mar low C = 12.5
|Apr low C = 13.5
|May low C = 14.8
|Jun low C = 17.3
|Jul low C = 18.8
|Aug low C = 19.8
|Sep low C = 20.2
|Oct low C = 17.4
|Nov low C = 15.6
|Dec low C = 15.4

|Jan record low C = 11.1
|Feb record low C = 11.0
|Mar record low C = 11.4
|Apr record low C = 12.8
|May record low C = 13.5
|Jun record low C = 15.8
|Jul record low C = 18.4
|Aug record low C = 19.3
|Sep record low C = 19.1
|Oct record low C = 15.1
|Nov record low C = 13.5
|Dec record low C = 14.9
|year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 18.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 13.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 12.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 14.1
|May precipitation mm = 2.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 1.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 0.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 0.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 4.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 33.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 3.8
|year precipitation mm =

|Jan humidity = 73
|Feb humidity = 77
|Mar humidity = 74
|Apr humidity = 79
|May humidity = 76
|Jun humidity = 82
|Jul humidity = 82
|Aug humidity = 83
|Sep humidity = 80
|Oct humidity = 79
|Nov humidity = 77
|Dec humidity = 71
|year humidity =

|source 1 = [[Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Série retrospetiva |url=https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/download-now/ambiente-territorio/dados-meteorologicos/dados-meteorologicos-serie-retrospetiva/category/671-dados-meteorologicos-serie-retrospetiva.html |website=estatistica.madeira.gov.pt |publisher=Direção Regional de Estatística da Madeira |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>
}}

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
|+Average wind speed (km/h) 2017, 2018 & 2020

|-
!
!'''Jan'''
!'''Feb'''
!'''Mar'''
!'''Apr'''
!'''May'''
!'''Jun'''
!'''Jul'''
!'''Aug'''
!'''Sep'''
!'''Oct'''
!'''Nov'''
!'''Dec'''
!'''Year'''
|-
|Selvagem Grande<ref name="wind">{{cite web |title=Velocidade e Rumo do Vento (2012-2020) |url=https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/download-now/ambiente-territorio/dados-meteorologicos/dados-meteorologicos-serie-retrospetiva/send/671-dados-meteorologicos-serie-retrospetiva/13680-velocidade-e-rumo-do-vento-2012-2020.html |publisher=Direção Regional de Estatística da Madeira |access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref>
|31.1
|31.0
|32.4
|23.5
|25.3
|25.5
|33.0
|32.8
|24.5
|22.6
|25.7
|27.3
|28.4
|-
|}

==Fauna and flora==
The scientific and natural interest of this tiny group of islands lies in its marine [[biodiversity]], its unique [[Flora (plants)|flora]] and [[fauna]] and many avian species that breed annually on its rock cliffs or use them on their stopover on normal migratory patterns.

The Selvagens Islands and their surrounding waters present pristine marine and terrestrial communities, with many of its ecosystems in an unaltered state (such as in Selvagem Pequena and [[Ilhéu de Fora]]) and habitat for a wide variety of endemic species and species in an [[Threatened species|unfavorable state of conservation]], they are a unique example of the Macaronesian biogeographical region biota.<ref name=UNESCO />

The archipelago has the highest density (per 100 km{{sup|2}}) of exclusive endemic terrestrial plants of the [[Macaronesian Region]] and the lowest number of exotic terrestrial plants taxa (17) of the [[Madeira|Madeira Region]].<ref name=UNESCO />

Although commercial tours of the islands and their [[biomes]] are available, all visitors require authorisation from the Madeira Nature Park, the regional environmental authority.<ref name="A"/>

===Birds===
[[File:Cagarra Selvagem Pequena.jpg|thumb|right|Cory's shearwater roosting in her nest within the crags on the island of ''Selvagem Pequena'']]
[[File:Tarentola bischoffi.JPG|thumb|right|Boettger's wall gecko]]
[[File:Ermitas selvagem.jpg|thumb|right|Arthropods (like this species of [[hermit crab]]) make up about 92% of the native invertebrate species]]
Selvagens Islands are one of the most important breeding areas for seabirds of Macaronesia and the North Atlantic, offering conditions that are unique in all the world.
About 3% of the birds species are resident species, the remaining are migratory species.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} The abundance of birds on the islands, at one time, made the islands an attractive hunting area for peoples of the region. At the end of the 19th century the German naturalist [[Ernst Johann Schmitz|Ernst Schmitz]] noted that 20–22,000 [[Cory's shearwater|Cory's shearwaters]] were hunted in September or October in the islands;<ref>Ernst Schmitz (1893), "Die Puffinenjagd auf den Selvagens-Inseln im jahre 1892", Ornithologisches Jahrbuch 1893, Austria, pp.141-147</ref> the hunts continued until 1967. Madeiran expeditions to the islands were responsible for the killing of juvenile birds for food, while their [[down feathers|down]] was used to stuff pillows and comforters.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Presently the islands are home or stopover for: [[Cory's shearwater]]s (>30,000), [[white-faced storm-petrel]] (>80,000), [[Bulwer's petrel]] (approximately 4000), [[North Atlantic little shearwater]] (1400), [[Madeiran storm-petrel]] (1500), [[yellow-legged gull]] (50), [[common tern]] (>60), [[roseate tern]] (<5) and [[Berthelot's pipit]] (the only resident bird species);<ref name=history /> which are subjects of annual scientific expeditions. Many of these species are vulnerable to other local predator bird species, like the yellow-legged gull, which will consume both eggs and chicks (the [[white-faced storm-petrel]] and [[Bulwer's petrel]] are primarily susceptible).{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} The islands are home to the largest known breeding colony in the world of Cory's shearwater and the only site in the Atlantic where [[Swinhoe's storm petrel]] can be regularly found.<ref name=history /><ref name=UNESCO /> The Selvagens archipelago has been recognised as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because of its [[seabird]] [[bird colony|colonies]].<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/selvagens-iba-portugal|title= Selvagens|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 19 January 2021}}</ref>

===Sealife===
[[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]] once found what he believed were "the cleanest waters in the world" around this minor archipelago; there is an abundance of marine activity, much endemic to the environment, including the [[barred hogfish]], puffer fish ([[Tetraodontidae]]), [[sea spider]] and many species of [[sea urchin]]. At depth of about {{convert|30|m|4=-1|abbr=on}} the waters around the islands are teeming with algae and many migratory species of common fish, routinely migrating from the islands of [[Cape Verde]], Madeira and the Canaries.

Out of eight total species of sea turtle in the world, five of them occur in Selvagens Islands waters. The most frequent is the [[loggerhead turtle]], followed by [[Kemp's ridley sea turtle]], [[hawksbill sea turtle]], [[green sea turtle]] and [[leatherback sea turtle]].<ref name=UNESCO />

A total of 10 [[cetacea]]n species are recorded for Selvagens Islands surrounding waters, including some with a "Vulnerable" or "Threatened" global conservation statuses according to IUCN list of threatened species such as [[Balaenoptera physalus|fin whales]], [[sperm whales]], [[bottlenose dolphins]], [[common dolphins]], [[short-finned pilot whales]], [[Stenella frontalis|Atlantic spotted dolphins]], [[pygmy sperm whale]], [[sei whale]], [[Bryde's whale]] and a non-confirmed [[beaked whale]] species, but many others are expected to be discovered. The sub-tropical geographical position of Selvagens Islands puts it at the limit of the northern distribution range of many tropical oceanic cetaceans species and at the southern limit of species from more temperate latitudes.<ref name=UNESCO />

Despite having a much smaller submerged area with depths less than {{convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}} than other larger Macaronesian archipelagos, the islands have remarkable fish species richness. There are 88 known species of coastal fish, some of them included in endangered and vulnerable status such as the [[dusky grouper]], the [[Island grouper]] or the [[barred hogfish]]. 27.3% of fish are from the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean, 10.2% from temperate waters and 6.8% from subtropical waters.<ref name=UNESCO />

===Other animals ===
Ten terrestrial vertebrates are known to live on these islands. Two terrestrial reptiles—''Tarentola boettgeri bischoffi'', a subspecies of [[Boettger's wall gecko]], and ''Teira dugesii selvagensis'', a subspecies of [[Madeiran wall lizard]]—are exclusive to Selvagens Islands. The islands are the only terrestrial mammal-free archipelago in the [[Macaronesia]] of the North Atlantic.<ref name=UNESCO />

The Selvagens archipelago is a hotspot of endemic terrestrial [[arthropods]]. There are about 219 species and subspecies of terrestrial invertebrates, 92% accounting for [[arthropods]]. About 20% of the whole taxa is endemic to the islands. Some endemic species include the sea snails ''[[Adeuomphalus|Adeuomphalus marbisensis]]'', ''[[Sticteulima|Sticteulima lata]]'', ''[[Alvania dijkstrai]]'', ''[[Alvania freitasi]]'', ''[[Alvania harrietae]]'', ''[[Atlanta selvagensis]]'', ''[[Manzonia boucheti]]'', ''[[Osilinus atratus|Osilinus atratus selvagensis]]'' and the land snail ''[[Theba macandrewiana]]''.

Other terrestrial invertebrates endemic to the islands include three species of [[Cossoninae]], two species of [[spider beetles]], [[Cryptorhynchinae]] and [[Malachiinae]] and a species of [[bean weevil]], [[click beetle]], [[thrips]], [[Harpalinae]], [[Pterostichinae]], [[Lamiinae]], [[Paederinae]], [[Trogossitinae]], [[Julida]] and a recently discovered species of ''[[Aplocnemus]]''.

The current number of known endemic species and subspecies is certainly a poor estimate of its real number.<ref name=UNESCO /><ref name=history />

===Plantlife===
[[File:Euphorbia anachoreta 3c.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Euphorbia anachoreta]]'' is a critically endangered [[endemic]] plant species of the Savage Islands]]

As a consequence of limited introduction, the terrestrial flora has an outstanding interest. More than 100 species of indigenous plants have been catalogued (most creeping plants and bushes). These plants are similar in many respects to indigenous species on the islands of Madeira and the Canaries, which are better suited to dry arid environments. Germination of these species occurs immediately and briefly after annual showers, and include: [[Lotus glaucus|''Lotus glaucus'' subsp. ''salvagensis'']], ''[[Scilla madeirensis]]'', ''[[Monizia edulis]]'', ''[[Erysimum arbuscula]]'', ''[[Misopates salvagense]]'', ''[[Urtica portosanctana]]'', ''[[Asparagus nesiotes]]'', ''[[Autonoe madeirensis]]'', among others.

Some [[endemic]] species to the archipelago include: ''[[Argyranthemum thalassophilum]]'', ''[[Monanthes lowei]]'' and ''[[Euphorbia anachoreta]]'' and 2 subspecies of ''[[Lobularia canariensis]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revisão do Plano de Ordenamento e Gestão das Ilhas Selvagens |url=https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/images/Doc_Artigos/IlhasSelvagens/POGIS.pdf |publisher=[[Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests]] |access-date=30 November 2020}}</ref>

Selvagem Pequena and the Fora Islet are the richest floral repositories, since they were never populated by non-indigenous animals or plants. For a period, some indigenous species (primarily ''[[Roccella tinctoria]]'' and other lichens) were harvested from the islands to support the dye industry of Europe, primarily to [[England]] and [[Flanders]] in the 15th and 16th centuries, but these adventures were discontinued later.

==History==
[[File:NRP Schultz Xavier Selvagem Pequena.jpg|thumb|left|The Portuguese Navy ship NRP ''Schultz Xavier'' anchored near the island of ''Selvagem Pequena'']]

[[Diogo Gomes|Diogo Gomes de Sintra]] discovered the islands by chance in 1438. Although the [[Canary Islands]] had been inhabited by the [[Guanches]], humans are not known to ever have set foot on the Madeira archipelago or the Savage Islands before the [[Portuguese discoveries]] and expansion.<ref name=B/> Consequently, this island group presented itself to Portuguese navigators uninhabited.

The first attempted settlement of the islands occurred around 1438 by the Portuguese, although few details remain of this endeavour. The oldest extant description of the colonisation was written around 1463 by the Portuguese mariner Diogo Gomes de Sintra. Gomes wrote that the islands were used to collect {{lang|pt|ursella}}, as a base for red paint/dyes; {{lang|pt|ursella}} referred to the [[lichen]]s of the scientific families [[Roccellaceae]] and [[Parmeliaceae]].<ref name=B/><ref>Alex Ritsema (2010), pp. 23–26</ref> In those days, the islands of the Atlantic (the [[Azores]] and Madeira) belonged to [[Henry the Navigator]], the Grandmaster of the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]] (the Portuguese successor to the [[Knights Templar]] in Portugal). However, the islands were generally omitted from the lists of their possessions.

By the 16th century the Selvagens Islands were held by a family from Madeira, known as ''Teixeiras Caiados''.<ref name=B/> How the islands found themselves under Caiados control is unknown. In 1560 they were given to João Cabral de Noronha.<ref name=B/> After 1717 they are recorded in wills, inheritances, inventories and other documents. Between 1774 and 1831 taxes were paid to the king. The islands were also recorded in the books of the {{lang|pt|Conservatória do Registo Predial}} of Funchal.

From the 15th to the 19th centuries, the islands were used for different economic activities, such as collecting [[barilla]] weed and shells and mollusks. The islands, although uninhabited, were also used as a waypoint for fishing, while goats and rabbits were hunted on Selvagem Grande. Until about 1967, in September or October, there were organised hunts for the chicks of the [[Cory's shearwater]]s for their oil and meat.<ref>Alex Ritsema (2010), pp. 24–28</ref>

The islands have a reputation as pirate treasure islands, and there are many stories of treasure hunting. According to reliable primary documents, at least four times (in 1813, 1851, 1856 and 1948), serious dig attempts were made to recover the supposed treasures but nothing was found.<ref>Alex Ritsema (2010), pp. 29–35</ref>

In 1904 the islands were sold to Luís Rocha Machado. The Permanent Commission of International Maritime Law gave sovereignty of the Savage Islands to Portugal on 15 February 1938.

In 1959, the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|World Wildlife Fund]] (WWF), now known as the World Wide Fund for Nature, became interested in the islands and signed a contract/promise with the owner, Luís Rocha Machado. In 1971 the Portuguese government intervened and acquired the islands, converting them into a [[nature reserve]]. The Savage Islands Reserve was created as part of the Madeira Nature Park; it is one of the oldest nature reserves of Portugal and it also includes the surrounding shelf to a depth of {{convert|200|m|yd ft}}. In 1976, permanent surveillance began, and in 1978 the reserve was elevated to the status of Nature Reserve. In 2002, part of the nature reserve was nominated for [[UNESCO]]'s list of [[World Heritage Sites]]: they are currently included in the tentative World Heritage Site list.

In the 21st century, the Selvagens Islands have a permanent team of wardens from [[Madeira Nature Reserve]] (on Selvagem Grande there is a permanent research station with two wardens year-round, while Selvagem Pequena is staffed usually by two wardens between May and October).<ref name="NatGeoReport"/> These and the [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/apr/02/guardianobituaries Zino family] (a family of British origin, known as "the guardians of the Savages") are the only permanent human inhabitants of the islands.<ref name="dnoticias.pt">{{cite journal|title=Família Zino, a guardiã das Selvagens|language=pt|journal=DNoticias|date=July 16, 2013|url=http://www.dnoticias.pt/actualidade/madeira/396767-familia-zino-a-guardia-das-selvagens|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316052053/http://www.dnoticias.pt/actualidade/madeira/396767-familia-zino-a-guardia-das-selvagens|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=January 2020}} Selvagem Grande gained a weather station controlled by IPMA (the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere) and is permanently patrolled by the Portuguese Maritime Police to  improve safety in navigation and search and rescue, and to prevent pollution and stop illegal fisheries in the reserve.<ref>[https://rr.sapo.pt/especial/62147/as_selvagens_estao_mais_civilizadas *As Selvagens estão mais civilizadas"]. Rádio Renascença</ref>

===Disputed territory===


Portugal places its southernmost [[exclusive economic zone]] claim south of the Selvagem Islands. Spain formerly objected to it on the basis that the Selvagem Islands do not have a separate continental shelf,<ref>Lacleta Muñoz, José Manuel. [http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/Elcano_es/Zonas_es/Europa/DT34-2004 "Las fronteras de España en el mar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928133803/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_es/!ut/p/a0/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKNQ1zcA73dDQ0MLIOcDRzdLbxDLE0NDcI8TPQLsh0VAXBR2KQ!// |date=2020-09-28 }}. Documentos de trabajo 34-2004, Real Instituto Elcano</ref> stating that the border should comprise an equidistant line drawn halfway between [[Madeira]] and the [[Canary Islands|Canaries]]. According to article 121 of the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]]: "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf."<ref>[https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part8.htm United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part VIII, Article 121]</ref> The status of the Savage Islands as islands or rocks was thus at the core of the dispute.<ref>[https://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_prt_44_2009.htm United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea]</ref><ref>[https://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/esp77_14/prt_re_esp77_en.pdf Communications received with regard to the submission made by Portugal to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf]</ref>

Despite the islands having numerous visitors, mostly for scientific purposes, and the fact that several settlements were tried throughout the centuries,{{dubious|date=January 2020}}{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} today the Savage Islands are a special [[natural reserve]] whose only year-round inhabitants are the wardens of Madeira's Natural Park. Over the years, apart from the EEZ debate, a number of issues pertaining to the Savage Islands led to disputes between the two countries, namely the construction of a lighthouse, the administration of airspace (done from the closer Canary Islands), the right to perform military air exercises, and, most importantly, [[illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing|illegal fishing]] and poaching in the archipelago and its vicinity.<ref>Carvalho, Luis and Leitão, Nuno, [http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/Publicacoes/2005/LeitaoN_CarvalhoL_Text.pdf ''A Noção "Estratégica" das Ilhas Selvagens''] (in Portuguese) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223055330/http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/Publicacoes/2005/LeitaoN_CarvalhoL_Text.pdf |date=2008-02-23 }}</ref> In order to further protect the Savage Islands as a Natural Reserve, more stringent legislation was established in 2025. This gives the Madeira regional government to monitor wildlife, reintroduce and repopulate areas with native exotic species, control and remove invasive flora or fauna, apprehend illegal fishing vessels and crews, or poachers caught in the islands or within their jurisdiction.<ref>{{cite web|URL=https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/pt/areas-protegidas/ilhas-selvagens/legislacao-aplicavel.html|publisher=madeira.gov.pt|title=Ilhas Selvagens legislação aplicável|language=PT|date=2025-04-30}}</ref>

====19th century====
* 1880s – In an 1881 Maritime Signalisation Commission meeting, Spain requested the building of a lighthouse on the islands. The Portuguese recognised the importance of the lighthouse to the [[Canary Islands]] sea route, but deemed it not a priority at the time. In response, the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that "the sovereignty of the islands is unclear".

====20th century====
* 1910s – In 1911, given the lack of action over the requested lighthouse, Spain said it would build it on its own, leading to Portuguese fears of a Spanish annexation of the strategic islands.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} After a Portuguese protest questioning what it termed "Spanish confusion" over the issue, Spain said its intention was to reach an agreement "in the most amicable terms". In 1913, the [[Portuguese Navy]] conducted a survey, led by Admiral Schultz Xavier, of the [[Selvagem Grande Island]] and recommended ''Pico da Atalaia'' as the best location for the lighthouse.
* 1930s – On February 15, 1938, the Permanent Commission of International Maritime Law declared Portugal as the legitimate sovereign over the islands. The Spanish government, however, was in the midst of fighting the [[Spanish Civil War]] and did not have the opportunity to present its case to the commission.
* 1970s – In 1971, the Portuguese government bought the islands from their previous [[Madeira]]n owner, and decreed the creation of a natural reserve in the archipelago to protect the area from illegal fishing and poaching, which had severely reduced the bird populations in recent years. In 1972, two Spanish civilian boats, ''San Pedro de Abona'' and ''Áries'', were arrested near the islands. In 1975, fishermen from the Canary Islands disembarked in the islands and waved a Spanish flag.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} In 1976 another Spanish boat, ''Ecce Homo Divino'', was detained for illegal fishing.
* 1996-1997 – On 8 April 1996, [[Spanish Air Force|Spanish]] [[F-18]] fighters overflew the islands, followed by a low altitude [[Aérospatiale Puma|Puma SA-330J]] flyby over Selvagem Grande on August 2. On the following October 16th, another F-18 flyby over the reserve was filmed by the Portuguese [[Rádio e Televisão de Portugal|RTP]] TV channel, prompting the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministry to protest. In May 1997, the Ministry of Defense formally requested the Spanish government to stop training exercises near the natural reserve. Spain agreed, but on 1 August 1997 and 24 September 1997, new flybys by Spanish airplanes took place in the vicinity, prompting vehement protests from the Portuguese authorities which led to a formal apology by the Spanish ambassador to Portugal, after which the flights stopped. After this period, the islands were reinforced with a small [[Portuguese Navy]] detachment, purportedly to help patrol the islands against illegal fishing and poaching. Later in 1997, Spain formally recognised Portuguese sovereignty over the islands.<ref>{{citation |title=El litigio más largo |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2008/07/20/domingo/1216525956_850215.html |newspaper=[[El País]] |date=20 July 2008 |language=es|last1=Güell |first1=Oriol }}</ref>

====21st century====
* 2005 – 23 June, four Spanish fishing boats were detained {{convert|28|nmi|km mi}} south of the islands. A few days later, on 8 July, a biologist and one of the nature reserve wardens in the Selvagem Grande Island were threatened with a knife and underwater fishing spear guns by a group of Spanish fishermen. A group of ten [[Portuguese Marine Corps|Portuguese marines]] were placed on the island for a month to put an end to [[poaching]] of protected species.<ref>{{citation |contribution=Marinha reforça presença nas Selvagens após incidentes com pescadores |url= http://www.publico.pt/Pol%C3%ADtica/marinha-reforca-presenca-nas-selvagens-apos-incidentes-com-pescadores-1225603 |title=O Público |date=12 June 2005 |access-date=4 February 2012 |language=pt}}</ref>
* 2007 – June, one Spanish search and rescue airplane flew over the islands at low altitude, prompting the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment to contact its Spanish counterpart over the issue.<ref>{{citation |contribution=Espanhóis violam espaço aéreo nas ilhas Selvagens |url=http://tasquinha.blogspot.com/2007/06/espanhis-violam-espao-areo-nas-ilhas.html |title=Tasquinha |publisher=[[Correio da Manhã (Portugal)|Correio da Manhã]] |date=18 June 2007 |language=pt}}</ref>
* 2013 – 5 July, Spain sends letter officially complaining to the UN that the Savage islands are just rocks,<ref>{{citation|url=https://ilhasselvagens.blogs.sapo.pt/72926.html|title= Selvagens – Reacendeu-se o conflito entre Portugal e Espanha sobre a ZEE das ilhas |publisher= Pedro Quartin Graça|date=September 2013|language=pt}}</ref> which would invalidate the Portuguese sovereignty over the claimed EEZ surrounding the islands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/spain-disputes-portugal-islands/29269|title= Spain disputes Portugal islands |publisher= Brendan de Beer|date=September 2013}}</ref>
* 2013 – 18 July, The serving [[President of Portugal]], [[Aníbal Cavaco Silva]] with the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, [[Alberto João Jardim]] arrived on the islands on board the [[NRP Vasco da Gama (F330)|Portuguese Navy frigate ''Vasco da Gama'']] visit and stay on the Islands as part of a tour to meet residents and officials based there. [[Aníbal Cavaco Silva]] became the first President to stay overnight on the islands as former Presidents [[Mário Soares]] and [[Jorge Sampaio]] only visited for a few hours.<ref>{{citation |url=https://expresso.sapo.pt/cavaco-silva-passeia-nas-selvagens=f821211 |title=Cavaco Silva passeia nas Selvagens |publisher=Expresso |date=11 August 2013 |language=pt}}</ref>
*2014 – The head of the Spanish Government, [[Mariano Rajoy]], announced that [[Repsol]], an Oil and Gas company will conduct surveys to find oil and gas in the surrounding waters of the nearby [[Canary Islands]], would begin "very likely" between July and September.
*2014 – 22 September, Canarian secessionists on behalf of the [[Canarian Nationalist Alternative]] party, staged a protest on the smaller island of Selvagem Pequena, to urge the [[Portuguese government]] to intercede with the [[European Parliament]] so as not to jeopardise the fragile and unique biodiversity of the [[Macaronesia]]n islands, before the [[Spanish government]] completely surrenders to the interests of [[Repsol]]. After two days the protestors were transported to [[Funchal]] by the [[Portuguese Navy]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.publico.pt/politica/noticia/independentistas-das-canarias-detidos-nas-ilhas-selvagens-1670778 |title=Independentistas das Canárias detidos nas ilhas Selvagens |date = 24 September 2014 |publisher=Público |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.dn.pt/politica/interior/independentistas-das-canarias-ocupam-selvagem-pequena-4140342.html |title=Independentistas das Canárias ocupam Selvagem Pequena |date = 23 September 2014 |publisher=Diário de Notícias |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.pangeatoday.com/spaniards-occupy-portuguese-islands-to-protest-oil-drilling/ |title=Spaniards 'occupy' Portuguese islands to protest oil drilling |date = 5 October 2014 |publisher=Pangea Today}}</ref>
*2014 – 17 December, Spain sends Dr Luis Somoza Losada to the [[UN]] to give a 448-point report asking for the expansion of Spanish territory at the expense of Portugal. After returning to Spain from New York he states "It's the biggest enlargement of Spanish sovereignty since Christopher Columbus". Luis Somoza Losada was a coordinator of a team made up of civilians and military that was commissioned to underpin the ambitious maritime expansion of Spain around the Savage Islands. Conducting 6 surveys of the area on 3 ships: the Hespérides, Miguel Oliver and Sarmiento de Gamboa, he discovered that there was gas in the area and possibly oil.<ref>{{citation |url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2014/12/28/actualidad/1419791095_360167.html |title=España amplía sus dominios marítimos |date = 30 December 2014 |newspaper=El Pais |language=es|last1=Planelles |first1=Manuel }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/spain-reignites-island-tussle/33530 |title=Spain reignites island tussle |date = 31 December 2014 |publisher=The Portugal News}}</ref>
*2016 – 21 August, the territory starts being permanently patrolled by two elements of the ''Polícia Marítima'', the Portuguese [[water police]], stationed on the Selvagem Grande Island.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.publico.pt/politica/noticia/marinha-garante-soberania-continua-e-efectiva-sobre-ilhas-selvagens-1741965 |title=Marinha garante soberania 'contínua e efectiva' sobre ilhas Selvagens |date=21 August 2016| publisher=Público |language=pt}}</ref>
*2016 – 30 August, Portuguese President [[Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa]], joined by the [[Ministry of Internal Administration (Portugal)|Minister for Internal Administration]] Constança Urbano de Sousa, and the [[Presidents of the Regional Government of Madeira|President of the Regional Government of Madeira]] [[Miguel Albuquerque]], visited Selvagem Grande. Rebelo de Sousa remarked that "Wherever the President of the Republic goes, he marks our territory", and justified the voyage by saying that the Head of State must go to every part of the national territory.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.publico.pt/politica/noticia/marcelo-nas-selvagens-para-marcar-territorio-1742651 |title=Marcelo nas Selvagens para 'marcar território' |date=29 August 2016| publisher=Público |language=pt}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Islands|Portugal}}
* [[Exclusive economic zone of Portugal]]
* [[Autonomous Region of Madeira]]
* [[List of islands of Portugal]]
* [[Macaronesia]]

==References==
; Notes
{{reflist|2}}

; Sources
* {{Citation|first1=Luís|last1=Carvalho|first2=Nuno|last2=Leitão|title=A noção 'estratégica' das ilhas Salvegens|trans-title=The Strategic Notion of the Savage Islands|language=pt|year=2005|publisher=[[TERCUD]] – Centro de Estudos do Território, Cultura e Desenvolvimento|location=Lisbon, Portugal|url=http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/Publicacoes/2005/LeitaoN_CarvalhoL_Text.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223055330/http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/Publicacoes/2005/LeitaoN_CarvalhoL_Text.pdf|archive-date=2008-02-23}}
* {{Cite book|first=Alex|last=Ritsema|title=The Selvagens, Forgotten Atlantic Islands|publisher=Lulu Press|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4461-8968-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EG9nAgAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Albuquerque|first1=Luis|last2=Vieira|first2=Alberto|title=The Archipelago of Madeira in the 15th Century|location=Funchal, Madeira|publisher=Centro Estudos História Atlântico|year=1988}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ilhas Selvagens|Savage Islands<br/>(Ilhas Selvagens)}}
* [http://www.madeirawindbirds.com/en/tours/selvagens_islands_boat_expedition.html Selvagens Expeditions]
* [http://www.navegar-es-preciso.com/news/ilhas-selvagens/ Ilhas Selvagens] {{inlang|es}}

{{EU Outermost regions}}
{{Municipalities of Madeira}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Savage Islands| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Autonomous Region of Madeira]]
[[Category:Islands of Macaronesia]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Portugal]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Portugal]]
[[Category:Funchal]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Madeira]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in Portugal]]
[[Category:Natura 2000 in Portugal]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Spain]]