Study site description: Ribeira Seca, Cape Verde

Table of Contents

1. Responsible IP partner
2. General information
3. Bio-physical description
4. Socio-economic description
5. Institutional and political setting
   1. Institutions and civil societies involved in natural resource management and desertification
   2. Laws and policies for land and water resource management
6. Relevant end-users / stakeholder groups
7. Past and on-going projects

Institutions and civil societies involved in natural resource management and desertification

Institutions

In Cape Verde, several institutions and organizations are involved in environmental issues, including natural resource management and desertification. Four ministries are engaged: the Ministry of Environment, Rural Development and Marine Resources (MADRRM), Ministry of Infrastructures and Transportation (MIT); Ministry of Education and Human Resources Valorization; and Ministry of Economy and competitiveness. However, MADRRM, through its central services, is the most important ministry having natural resource management responsibility.

• The Ministry of Environment, Rural Development and Marine Resources (MADRRM). This ministry has the responsibility and the competence to articulate with the Ministry of Economy upon matters regarding food security, agriculture yield provisioning; and, on the other hand, with the Ministry of Education in issues regarding environmental education, training and research policies in the scope of agricultural sciences and fisheries and upon the protection and conservation of the natural patrimony.
• General Direction of Planning, Budgeting and Management and (DGPOG). The DGPOG is the central service of MADRRM and has the responsibility of studying and planning. The DGPOG helps the Ministry in the formulating and monitoring policies in the sectors of environment, agriculture, sylviculture, animal husbandry, fishery and food.
• General Direction of Environment (DGA). DGA is the Government Department responsible for the conception, coordination, control, execution and assessment of the Government specific policies for the sector of natural resources and environment. Its main attributions are: Elaboration of proposals of legislative measures in the framework of environmental protection and improvement; Environmental impact assessment of the projects; Environment certification; Elaboration of norms about environmental quality; Promotion and management of environmental information system; Survey of pollution sources and participation in control and inspection; and Implementation of International Treaties and Conventions about environmental issues signed and or ratified by Cape Verde.
• General Direction of Agriculture, Sylviculture and Animal Husbandry (DGASP). DGASP is the institution responsible for the improvement and execution of laws and codes for the preservation of rural environment, more particularly the use of forests and measures for soil and water conservation. DGASP is also the responsible for: the importation in the country of vegetal species, and has also the competence to propose all regulating control measures; the application of laws, regulations and codes which organize activities of animal husbandry production at national level; Ensuring, through the application of legal dispositions and regulations, the sustainable management of forestry resources (woods and fodders), in order to protect the soil, water and others natural resources; improvement of sensibilization of rural people in order to get a sustainable management of the natural resources and also participate in the protection of nature.

Civil societies

Civil societies and traditional organizations are organized in form of NGOs and community associations referred later.