Culture and the environment on the Cape Verde Islands

The Cape Verde Islands originally supported a limited island ecology which, since the arrival of settlers 500 years ago, has been steadily altered or destroyed. Today, deforestation and overfarming, combined with the natural conditions of aridity and strong winds, have rendered the islands barren and eroded. The current government of the Republic of Cape Verde is attempting to alter traditional attitudes and customs of environmental neglect and mismanagement, while at the same time striving to restore or create self-sustaining ecosystems. The introduction of plants, animals, and physical structures enhancing soil and water conservation may create a more viable total ecosystem than existed before humans arrived.