Endemic plantation on the islet of Vila Franca

The Sustainable Laurel Project supported, once more, the Safe Islands for Seabirds Project, during the endemic plantation work in the islet of Vila Franca do Campo. This work main objective was to test new methodologies for the recovery of the natural vegetation of that place which is so important for the seabirds nesting there, such as the Cory’s Shearwater.

The Sustainable Laurel Project team collaborated on the removal of the exotic invasive vegetation on the intervention areas, namely the cane grass, and on the recovery of that area.This time, 300 Azorina Vidalii and 1600 azorian heathers were planted.



It was also possible to verify the development of the azorian heathers and azorian fire trees planted throughout the last two years. Most of them survived and now they’re adapting amazingly well. Even the azorian heathers and the azorian fire trees that were still on the intervention spots are now on full recovery, presenting an excellent development. This way, we hope to reduce the cane grass invasion.


The cane grass roots do not allow the development of any other vegetation, degrade the soil that is already fragile and block the seabird’s access to their nests. With these azorian heathers and the azorian fire trees, we hope to reduce the soil degradation, making it more stable and safe for the various seabirds that pass by the islet of Vila Franca and that can now safely build their nests.


You can know more about this project on http://lifecorvo.blogspot.com