Centro Terra Viva

Centro Terra Viva – Estudos e Advocacia Ambiental (CTV) is a Mozambican non-governmental organization established in 2002 to promote and ensure the participation of civil society in environmental management through education and information, as well as in the sound adoption and application of legislation on the same subject.

In terms of interventions, CTV has always been focused on environmental research and advocacy. The organization’s evolution over the past 18 years may be divided into the following four phases:

• 2002 – 2008 The first seven years the focus was on advocacy activities to create awareness and promote the implementation of better policies and legislation for the management of the environment and natural resources. We pursued activities oriented to promoting the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
  In the first phase, the structure programs and geographic scope, the intervention areas and the geographical scope of the CTV were very limited, as it only had only the central office in Maputo and activities distributed in three programs: Environmental policies and legislation (Pro-Legis), the information program (Pro-Info), and the program on ecosystems and biodiversity (Pro-Eco).
• 2009 – 2015 The following seven years these were a process of readjustment and institutional growth. We began to focus on advocacy activities in promoting good environmental governance in land and forest use, with focus on rural areas. We turned to building capacity, training and technical and legal support activities reinforced by applied research on land and forest management and administration at public and community levels.
  Following the second phase, the geographical scope was extended to national level. In addition to the main office in Maputo, regional branches were established in the north (Pemba and Palma branches), the center (Chimoio branch) and the south (Maxixe branch). At this stage the program was revised to create the following three programs: the creation of the land, forest and biodiversity program – Pro-Terras subprogram – for research on mechanisms to reinforce security of tenure; Pro-Flores sustainable use of forests and mitigating the effects of climate change; and Pro-Eco which focused on coastal and marine environment conservation. The areas of gender, HIV-AIDS and natural resource management were included and were essentially aimed at promoting and strengthening the participation of women in management of natural resources.
• 2016 – 2019 The past four years in the face of growing problems related to natural resource management and the ongoing global land grab, CTV intensified its legal advisory services to rural communities in order to strengthen their security of tenure of land. Furthermore CTV supported the establishment of beneficial partnerships between communities and investors, activities raising awareness and education on environment, and land rights. We followed up with communities regarding public consultation processes carried out to allocate land use rights to private investors. CTV also monitored the resettlement of communities after they were displaced to allow for the exploitation of minerals or use of land for large-scale agriculture. This period was also marked by a remarkable growth and consolidation of CTV’s work on biodiversity and ecosystems activities, with the establishment of several monitoring, research, conservation programs in marine protected areas, as well as technical assistance. Finally, institutional development and maturity was achieved in this period, especially regarding management, administrative and financial processes and procedures.
  A new program and restructuring was carried out. Pro-Legis, Pro-Terras and Pro-Eco were operational with a cross-cutting thematic area called “gender, land and climate change”. Pro-Info was reshaped into a more flexible and operational Communications and Dissemination Unit (UCD), thus focusing on institutional branding and communications, as well as networking. The branches in Maxixe, Chimoio and Pemba were closed. Coverage of the north/central and southern regions was put under the responsibility of focal points based in Pemba and Maxixe respectively. CTV built an office in the town of Palma, province of Cabo Delgado, to support the monitoring of the environmental and community impacts of the gas extraction project being mounted on the Afungi peninsula.
• 2020 Currently CTV has re-shaped and strengthen its programmatic and leadership structure. A new program on Sustainable Businesses (Pro-NeS) is operating with focus on supporting communities in land and natural resources management and a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit is being developed. Thus, strengthening and consolidating the institutional capabilities of CTV.

CTV operates through an administrative structure led by a general assembly that deliberates and makes decisions at the macro and strategic levels of the association. Namely, its areas of intervention, plans and program regulations, among others. Linked to this is the fiscal council responsible for monitoring the administrative-financial issues.

The daily operations and management of CTV, including its development as an institution is ensured by an Executive Board under the leadership of the President, which also oversees the daily activities which are coordinated by Program Directors and the Director of Administration and Finance.

Implementation of the strategic plan is carried out by the relevant thematic programs composed of their own hierarchical structure and with technical and scientific autonomy. Thus, CTV implements specific projects and activities in the pursuit of fulfilling its objectives. Three programs operate in CTV, namely:

• The environmental legislation and policies program (Pro-Legis) which covers: environmental governance legislation and policies as well as strategic litigation, lobbying and advocacy,
• The sustainable businesses program (ProNeS), which provides support for communities management of land and natural resources.
• The ecosystem and biodiversity program (Pro-Eco) which implements the thematic activities around conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity.

The programs are oriented and managed by program directors and implemented by technical teams of technicians and researchers specialized in relevant areas. These programs are supported by the communications and dissemination unit (UCD), which is responsible for marketing CTV, communication and outreach (subject area 4), falling in a general form under the responsibility of the executive management, the activities related to public relations and fund raising. Following the organization’s growth, a monitoring and evaluation unit is currently being established.

The organization chart of CTV showing the layout of the different organs, programs and units and hierarch and communicating relationships between them is presented in the following section.