Geography of Desertas Islands

The Desertas Islands are a small group of uninhabited islets located off Madeira. Deserta Grande (10 km2) is the largest, followed by Ilhéu Chão (0.4 km2) and Bugio (3 km2). From afar, these long and narrow islands rise up like sharp ridges, whose impressive cliffs tower to over 400 m, reaching their maximum height on Deserta Grande at 479 m. The main geomorphological features are low-lying platforms at the foot of the cliffs. Most were formed by historical landslides, such as at Doca, the anchorage point on Deserta Grande and the site of the only permanently inhabited buildings, a house for the keepers and the nature reserve visitors centre.
The declaration of the nature reserve in 1995 (although the Desertas had been legally protected since 1990) meant that fishing and other human activities were regulated. Today fishing is banned in a broad area that mainly corresponds to the current habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), as this critically endangered species of pinniped needs calm conditions in which to breed and feed.