GUINEA-BISSAU: The Role of Local and International NGOs in Environmental Preservation and Sustainability of the Bijagos Archipelago

Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau is at present subject to numerous external impacts that affect its centuries old balance. Since 1975 Guinean society has been using its natural resources in an uncontrolled way over the territory and especially in the coastal area. The archipelago has been increasingly raising interest, most of which is incompatible with the guarantee for a long-term sustainable development. It has also displayed a general impoverishment as far as resource preservation is concerned, due to internal demographic pressure of a population that has doubled since 1981 and to external pressure related to neighboring migrations and consequent depletion of non-renewable resources. This article aims to analyze the actions of local and international NGOs in the preservation and sustainability of the Bijagos Archipelago. We seek through an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the phenomena that are configured within the strategies of NGOs, on the assumption that these issues are articulated in the field of geography and sociology, as well as in politics and international cooperation. It is proposed new challenges to environmental issues, especially in a current situation shaken by constant instability internal and external policies.

Soil and water conservation strategies and impact on sustainable livelihood in Cape Verde – Case study of Ribeira Seca watershed

Cape Verde, located off the coast of Senegal in western Africa, is a volcanic archipelago where a combination of human, climatic, geomorphologic and pedologic factors has led to extensive degradation of the soils. Like other Sahelian countries, Cape Verde has suffered the effects of desertification through the years, threatening the livelihood of the islands population and its fragile environment. In fact, the steep slopes in the ore agricultural islands, together with semi-arid and arid environments, characterized by an irregular and poorly distributed rainy season, with high intensity rainfall events, make dryland production a challenge. To survive in these fragile conditions, the stabilization of the farming systems and the maintenance of sustainable yields have become absolute priorities, making the islands an erosion control laboratory. Soil and water conservation strategies have been a centerpiece of the government0s agricultural policies for the last half century. Aiming to maintain the soil in place and the water inside the soil, the successive governments of Cape Verde have implemented a number of soil and water conservation techniques, the most common ones being terraces, half moons, live barriers, contour rock walls, contour furrows and microcatchments, check dams and reforestation with drought resistant species. The soil and water conservation techniques implemented have contributed to the improvement of the economical and environmental conditions of the treated landscape, making crop production possible, consequently, improving the livelihood of the people living on the islands. In this paper, we survey the existing soil and water conservation techniques, analyze their impact on the livelihood condition of the population through a thorough literature review and field monitoring using a semi-quantitative methodology and evaluate their effectiveness and impact on crop yield in the Ribeira Seca watershed. A brief discussion is given on the cost and effectiveness of the techniques to reduce soil erosion and to promote rainfall infiltration. Finally, we discuss the critical governance factors that lead to the successful implementation of such strategy in a country with scarce natural resources.

Soil and Water Conservation Strategies in Cape Verde (Cabo Verde in Portuguese) and Their Impacts on Livelihoods - An Overview from the Ribeira Seca Watershed

Severe land degradation has strongly affected both people’s livelihood and the environment in Cape Verde (Cabo Verde in Portuguese), a natural resource poor country. Despite the enormous investment in soil and water conservation measures (SWC or SLM), which are visible throughout the landscape, and the recognition of their benefits, their biophysical and socioeconomic impacts have been poorly assessed and scientifically documented. This paper contributes to filling this gap, by bringing together insights from literature and policy review, field survey and participatory assessment in the Ribeira Seca Watershed through a concerted approach devised by the DESIRE project (the “Desire approach”). Specifically, we analyze government strategies towards building resilience against the harsh conditions, analyze the state of land degradation and its drivers, survey and map the existing SWC measures, and assess their effectiveness against land degradation, on crop yield and people’s livelihood. We infer that the relative success of Cape Verde in tackling desertification and rural poverty owes to an integrated governance strategy that comprises raising awareness, institutional framework development, financial resource allocation, capacity building, and active participation of rural communities. We recommend that specific, scientific-based monitoring and assessment studies be carried out on the biophysical and socioeconomic impact of SLM and that the “Desire approach” be scaled-up to other watersheds in the country.

Formação dos preços de venda nas Empresas Importadoras de São Vicente

As decisões de preços de venda, é uma das funções com mais relevância no ambiente empresarial para os gerentes, devido o seu carácter estratégico para o sucesso das empresas. O processo de formação de preço (FP) é fundamental para as empresas, embora apresenta graus de dificuldade e de complexidade, por implicar diversos factores. A primeira etapa para a FP consiste na estimativa correcta de custos, para obtenção de preços ideais. Para além dos custos, outros factores internos e externos devem ser analisados para que as decisões possam ser tomadas de forma correcta e obter um preço competitivo. Portanto, os gerentes precisam de informações precisas para poderem tomar decisões com segurança, levando em consideração todos os aspectos relevantes para a FP. O presente trabalho tem como objectivo principal, conhecer uma politica adequada de FP, bem como, descobrir quais os factores mais relevantes considerados na formação desses preços nas empresas e ainda conhecer quais os métodos de FP utilizado pelas empresas de importação de S.Vicente para a FP. A metodologia, consistiu primeiramente numa pesquisa bibliográfica e exploratória. Para a recolha dos dados,foram aplicados questionários com perguntas fechadas múltipla escolha, aos gerentes e aos responsáveis pelos processos de EC e FP e para complementar, foi feita uma entrevista a um especialista da área. Para a análise dos dados, foram utilizadas técnicas qualitativas e quantitativas, feito através das respostas obtidas dos questionários. Os resultados obtidos da pesquisa, mostram que o método de formação de preços de venda adoptado pelas empresas de S.Vicente, é o método baseado no custo e no mercado (método misto), ou seja, o preço é definido com base nos seus custos, mas é ajustado tendo por base o preço da concorrência. The sale prices decisions; it is one of the functions with more relevance in the managerial atmosphere for the managers, due your strategic character for the success of the companies. The process of price formation (FP) it is fundamental for the companies,although it presents degrees of difficulty and of complexity, for implicating several factors. The first stage for FP consists in estimate correct costs, to obtaining ideal prices. Besides the costs, others internal and external factors should be analyzed so that decisions can be made in a correct form to obtain a competitive price. Therefore, the managers need necessary information to make safety decisions, taking in consideration all the important aspects of FP. The main objective of this present work, is to know the appropriate politics of FP, as well as, to discover which the most important factors considered in the formation of those prices to purchases and still to know which of the FP methods used by the import companies in São Vicente. The methodology consisted firstly in a bibliographical and exploratory research. To collect the data, were applied uestionnaires with closed questions, multiple choice to the managers and the responsible for the processes of ECP and EP and to complement, it was made an interview to a specialist. For the analysis of the data, qualitative techniques were used, done through to obtained answers of the questionnaires. The results of the research, show that the method of formation of sale prices adopted for São Vicente's companies, is the method based on the cost and in the market (mixed method), in other words, the price is defined with base in the costs, but it is adjusted tends for base of the competition.

Auditoria interna e externa – Uma perspetiva de complementaridade

Esta monografia foi elaborada com o intuito do aprofundamento, aperfeiçoamento e o conhecimento académico, pesquisando um tema que contribuísse, de alguma maneira, para a melhoria da área em questão. Também teve a intenção de contribuir na análise da inter-relação entre a auditoria interna e externa numa perspetiva de complementaridade. Procura-se, na presente monografia, proporcionar uma reflexão sobre a relação existente entre a auditoria interna e a auditoria externa. Para tal, realizaram-se pesquisas bibliográficas sobre os principais conceitos, âmbito, métodos, objetivos, funções e procedimentos, normas pertinentes à auditoria interna e externa, relação entre as duas auditorias, complementaridade e cooperação entre elas e auditoria interna e externa na prevenção e deteção de fraudes. Paralelamente foram elaborados dois questionários enviados a 6 empresas que têm departamentos de auditoria interna retiradas do universo das empresas com departamento de auditoria interna e a 2 empresas que fazem auditoria externa nessas empresas, a atuarem no mercado caboverdiano durante o ano de 2013, com o objetivo de verificar a relação entre a auditoria interna e a externa, através da opinião dos auditores internos e cruzamento com a opinião dos auditores externos, a fim de verificar, efetivamente, como estabelecer essa relação. De posse desses elementos, o objetivo geral apresentado pode ser comprovado pela conclusão de que se pode estabelecer uma relação entre auditoria interna e externa e a mesma pode ser de complementaridade. This monograph was developed with the aim of deepening, improvement and academic knowledge, by researching a topic that would contribute in some way to improve the topic in question. It also intended to contribute to the analysis of the inter-relationship existent between the internal and external audit and the notion that both complement each other’s work. This monograph attempts to provide a reflection on the relationship between internal audit and external audit. For this purpose, a library research was conducted on key concepts, scope, methods, purpose, function and procedures, relevant standards for internal and external audit, the relationship between the two audits, complementarity and cooperation between them, and internal and external audit in the prevention and fraud detection. In parallel, we prepared two questionnaires that were sent to 6 companies that have an internal audit department that are part of the universe of companies with internal audit department; and to two companies that make external audits to the companies mentioned above and that operate in the Cape Verdean market during the year 2013. The objective was to verify the relationship between internal audit and external by reviewing the opinion n of internal auditors and to intersect that with the opinion of external auditor in order to verify effectively, how to establish this relationship. With these elements, the overall goal presented can be substantiated by the finding that a relationship establish between internal and external audit and this relationship can be complementary.