Milvoz considers it essential to closely monitor the Government's announcement regarding the restructuring of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), in the context of simplifying environmental, agriculture and maritime licensing processes.
We recognise that there are structural problems in the functioning of these bodies, namely a shortage of human and technical resources, procedural delays, administrative fragmentation and insufficient field inspection capacity. Improving administrative efficiency and modernising procedures are legitimate and necessary objectives.
However, administrative simplification cannot translate into a reduction of environmental standards, a weakening of independent technical assessment or a reduction in the capacity to prevent ecological impacts. In a context where Portuguese ecosystems face growing pressures, it is essential to ensure that any institutional reform strengthens, rather than weakens, the mechanisms for environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
The territory where Milvoz operates still harbours important biodiversity refuges, many of which remain subject to multiple threats and lack adequate legal protection. The association's field experience has shown that many environmental impacts are widespread in the landscape and are not reversible: the destruction of native habitats, ecological simplification or the loss of threatened species populations cannot be addressed with an approach based on after-the-fact enforcement.
We therefore consider it fundamental to ensure that this restructuring process:
maintains the technical independence of APA and ICNF;
preserves the rigour of environmental assessments;
strengthens active enforcement and field monitoring;
ensures transparency and effective public participation;
is accompanied by a genuine reinforcement of human and scientific resources.
Protecting nature is not an obstacle to development. On the contrary, it is an indispensable condition for ecological resilience, for the quality of life of communities and for long-term economic sustainability.
Milvoz will continue to follow this process closely, advocating for environmental management based on scientific knowledge, precaution and the safeguarding of the region's and the country's valuable natural heritage.
