Portugal's Serra de São Mamede Natural Park faces transparency demand

Eight deputies of the Socialist Party, led by Luís Moreira Testa, sent a request to Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho demanding urgent clarification on the execution of the 2023‑2025 co‑management plan for the Serra de São Mamede Natural Park. They argue that the absence of a final execution report and other public documents prevents full scrutiny of public funds and the achievement of the plan’s conservation goals.

Luís Vitorino, president of the park’s co‑management commission and mayor of Marvão, told Lusa that the required reports do exist and have been forwarded to the regional coordination commission, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the Environmental Fund, but there is no legal obligation to publish them. He said the accounts are regularised and noted that the co‑management model, launched in 2020, involves the municipalities of Arronches, Castelo de Vide, Portalegre and Marvão together with the ICNF.