ADPM is a Mértola-based development association founded in 1980, working on heritage conservation, environmental protection and community development in Portugal and in Portuguese-speaking African countries.
ADPM, the Associação de Defesa do Património de Mértola, was founded in 1980 in Mértola, Alentejo. Its founding goal was to support the harmonious development of the Mértola municipality, based on conserving and promoting local resources and involving residents in decisions about their own communities.
Over four decades the association has widened its reach. It now works in Portugal, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mozambique, running projects in rural development, environmental education, water management and cultural heritage. Recent work includes building 12 primary schools, 4 resource centres and 12 water boreholes in Nampula province, Mozambique, and supporting women entrepreneurs in food processing through the EcoRaízes programme.
In Portugal, ADPM's technical team monitors water quality in the Guadiana valley as part of the cross-border CI Montado-Dehesa project (INTERREG POCTEP), and coordinates the ITI Água e Ecossistemas de Paisagem funding line for the Mértola area. The association also hosts the Europe Direct Baixo Alentejo e Alentejo Litoral centre, organising public events on European policy and mobility.
ADPM's team is multidisciplinary, bringing together specialists in economics and management, sociology, social research, environmental engineering, geography, tourism, biology and community facilitation. The association is registered as a Local Development Association, an Institution of Public Utility, and both an ONGD (development NGO) and ONGA (environmental NGO). It runs a volunteer programme for people who want to contribute to its work in Mértola and abroad.
Our Goal
ADPM works to improve living conditions in rural and depressed territories through local development projects that combine conservation of natural and cultural heritage with economic, social and cultural progress. It operates in Mértola and across Portugal, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mozambique.
Our Wishes
The association looks for volunteers who share its mission and are ready to take on new challenges in support of local communities. It also seeks partners and funding for ongoing projects in environmental education, water quality monitoring and rural development.
