//
Agricultural engineer Sofia Gomes Melvill de Araújo has been appointed to head the newly created Division for Botanical Garden and Green Space Management.
The first head of the Division for Botanical Garden and Green Space Management, a flexible unit recently created within the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, IP-RAM (IFCN), has been appointed. The decision is outlined in Dispatch No. 345/2026.
Sofia Gomes Melvill de Araújo, a graduate in Agricultural Engineering and a senior technician at IFCN, has been appointed to the position of Division Head. This is a second-tier intermediate management position, filled under a service commission for a period of one year.
The division was created by Ordinance No. 6/2026 of January 8, and its leadership position had been vacant. The appointment of Sofia Araújo, who already performs technical duties at the Madeira Botanical Garden, takes effect from September 1, 2026.
Pedro Gonçalves de Barros has been appointed head of the Territorial Monitoring and Landscape Division of the Regional Directorate for Territorial Planning. The one-year appointment takes effect on 1 October 2026.
The Region has authorised €263,898.6 in funding over six financial years for the sublease of Quinta Vila Passos in Funchal, which will house a public service. The expenditure will be covered by the budget of the Institute for Forests and Nature Conservation.
An amendment to the collective irrigation investment scheme requires beneficiaries to settle outstanding repayments of European funds or provide a guarantee. The order also sets a criterion concerning criminal convictions involving EAFRD and EAGF funds.