Quercus criticized the opacity of the reform process of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), considering that environmental associations should have been called to participate. The environmental organization expressed concern about the lack of transparency in the ongoing restructuring.
The restructuring is described as "practically concluded," having proceeded without the public consultation that many organizations consider necessary in matters of reorganization of entities that oversee the environment and nature in Portugal.
One of the main changes planned is that ICNF should lose its regional delegations, with decisions on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) becoming centralized. This centralization of competencies raises questions about the proximity of environmental management to the territories.
Quercus argues that the reform should have involved the main actors in the sector, including environmental associations, in order to ensure greater transparency and participation in the process of reorganizing the entities responsible for environmental policy.
