Riki Therivel

Strategic environmental assessment.

The changing context of environmental assessment introduction to SEA national applications case studies critique of SEA techniques SEA and the global future.

Principles to guide the development of strategic environmental assessment methodology

Despite much recent attention being given to strategic environmental assessment (SEA), there are considerable difficulties moving from a useful concept to widespread and enduring practice. This may be partly because the proponents of the policies, programmes and plans (PPPs) and the decision-makers remain unaware, or unconvinced, that SEA can add value to the existing processes in PPP development, assessment and decision-making. This paper attempts to respond to these difficulties by defining an overarching concept of SEA and a set of principles to assist in the evolution of effective methodologies. A broad range of SEA methodologies will be needed to adapt to the particular PPP-making context and these must be grafted onto the existing PPP process.

Ensuring effective sustainability appraisal

Environmental and sustainability appraisals of development plans have been carried out in the UK for the last ten years. They have been relatively effective in integrating environmental/sustainability considerations in the plans and improving plan-making. However, this system will change in the next two years as European Directive 2001/42/EC becomes operational. This article considers how strategic environmental assessment effectiveness, and factors that contribute to it, can be ‘measured’. Based on four questionnaires of UK planning authorities carried out between 1994 and 2001, it summarises the evolution and current status of UK development plan appraisal. It considers likely changes that will result from implementing the Directives requirements in the UK, and concludes with lessons that should help to ensure that the most effective aspects of appraisal are kept as the regulatory context is changed.

Systems of strategic environmental assessment

Abstract The consideration of the environmental impacts of policies, plans, and programs—strategic environmental assessment (SEA)—is currently receiving much interest worldwide, but there are few SEA systems in operation. This article looks at a number of existing and proposed SEA systems, particularly those of the United States, Netherlands, and United Kingdom, and the proposed European Community Directive on SEA. It compares and contrasts these systems, and considers issues such as what policies, plans, and programs should require SEA, whether they should be externally reviewed, and whether they should include a monetary valuation of the environment. It concludes that SEA should be considered as a way of implementing the concept of sustainable development, rather than as a step up from the environmental assessment of individual projects.

Strategic environmental assessment of development plans in great britain

Abstract Although Britain has no legislation regarding strategic environmental assessment (SEA), SEA guidance exists and various forms of SEA are carried out: “environmental appraisals” of development plans, “environmental profiles” of European Structural Fund applications, ad hoc SEAs for specific sectors, and SEAs for Cabinet decisions. These are characterized by their qualitative approach, relative brevity, and low cost. This article begins by reviewing British SEA guidelines. The status of environmental appraisal of development plans is discussed in more detail, based on a series of questionnaires of all U.K. local authorities that queried: the current stage of their appraisal, who carried it out, what techniques were used, what were thought to be the costs and benefits of environmental appraisal, and advice on carrying out an appraisal. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the benefits and limitations of Britains “streamlined” form of SEA.

Writing strategic environmental assessment guidance

The main authors of five of the early guidance documents for how to implement the European Union Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive at regional and national level (those of England, Iceland, the Lombardia region of Italy, Portugal and Scotland) discuss the respective documents. They summarise the evolution of the five documents, then discuss what they were trying to achieve and whether they feel they have succeeded, common and diverging aspects of the documents, and unresolved issues.

Workshop Approach To Developing Objectives, Targets And Indicators For Use In Sea

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the process through which the impacts of plans and programmes on the environment are assessed. Objectives, targets and indicators are the tools through which these environmental impacts can be measured. The same objectives, targets and indicators may be used for all planning levels but it is also necessary to identify additional plan specific ones. We used a workshop based approach to provide an interface between planners and environmental scientists and to give examples of objectives, targets and indicators for biodiversity, water, air and climatic factors, which could be used in SEA for national, regional and local plans. In addition, we highlight the need for careful consideration during the selection process of these variables which will result in a more rigorous and robust SEA. This is a challenging process but once completed will maximise resources and reduce the workload later in the SEA process.

Principles For The Use Of Strategic Environmental Assessment As A Tool For Promoting The Conservation And Sustainable Use Of Biodiversity

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been identified as an important tool for helping to ensure that development is planned and implemented for the benefit of biodiversity by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention and the Convention for Migratory Species. SEA is seen as a way to overcome many limitations of project-level environmental impact assessment by allowing consideration of biodiversity at higher tiers of decision-making and planning.This paper identifies some important principles that should be taken into account to ensure that biodiversity considerations are appropriately addressed in SEA, so that the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are pursued as fundamental objectives of strategic decision-making. The paper also sets out key considerations to take into account at different stages in the SEA process. The principles explored in this paper should be applicable in any country where SEA is practiced, even though legislation, methodologies and procedures vary widely.

Environmental statements, environmental information, environmental assessment and the UK planning process

Since 1988 and the introduction into UK planning of the requirement for formal environmental impact assessment (EIA) of major projects, there has been much research on the quality of the environmental statements (ESs) submitted with planning applications. Yet the ES is only one part of the total environmental information (EI); its quality does not necessarily reflect the overall quality of the EIA process or of the decisions which flow from it. Ten case studies demonstrate this point, the complex process of gathering environmental information, and its relationship to the ES and decisionmaking. While the ES remains a key feature of EIA, it is often far less significant than the mass of other information assessed by local planning authorities in making decisions on major projects.

Post-auditing of environmental impact statements using data held in public registers of environmental information

It is feasible to monitor some environmental impact statement (EIS) predictions using existing data held in public registers of environmental information, but only a limited number. An analysis of six case studies showed that, of 166 EIS predictions, 138 were auditable, monitoring data were available for 16 of these, and 12 of the 16 predictions were correct. One reason for the poor ‘fit’ between EIS predictions and monitoring data is that many development projects change considerably after EISs are prepared for them, often as a result of changes required by pollution-control authorities. One solution may be to prepare one document which would be suitable for both planning and pollution-control purposes.