Strategic Environmental

Assessment
 Purpose of an SEA
• Essentially to identify impacts at a macro level
• To allow rationale decisions to be made whether
to take a project or development forward or not
• To provide a powerful tool to communicate the
implications of a development project or strategy
in terms of the community at large and specific
groups of sensitive receptors.
 SEA purpose and objective
 The main purpose of SEA is to ensure the early consideration
of environmental aspects in decisions.

 It is an integrative tool to support cross-sectoral approaches,

which are needed to achieve long term sustainability
objectives.

 SEA plays a determinant role as a facilitator in decision

making to help ensure a broad perspective on how the
different parts may come together.
 SEA terminology
SEA is a systematic process for estimating the environmental (economic and
social) consequences of proposed PPs initiatives in order to ensure that they are
included and addressed at the earliest stage of decision making.
OR
A formalized, systematic, and comprehensive process for evaluating the
environmental effects of a policy, plan or programme (PPP) and its alternatives.”

 The strategic component of a SEA refers to the set of objectives, principles

and policies that give shape to the vision and development intentions
incorporated in a policy, plan or program (PPP)

 SEAs deal with concepts and goals, not with particular activities

 SEAs aims to prevent unacceptable environmental damage

 SEA terminology
Policy A general course of action or proposed overall direction that
government is, or will be implementing

Plan is a strategy or decision, often with co-ordinated priorities, options and

measures e.g. land use plans.

Programme is an agenda or schedule of commitments, proposals, instruments

and / or activities.

Environmental Authority is the Environment Service.

Competent Authority is public enterprises, authorities established by law,

government services, local authorities or public organisations.
 SEA process

Screening Which PPs require SEA

Consultation / Public Participation

Scoping Types of issues in SEA report

Baseline data Information on current status of environment

Alternatives Forecast the impacts of alternatives options

Assessment Assessment of identified impacts

Mitigation Measures to reduce or remove impacts

SEA report Formal document of information

Monitoring Monitoring the adopted PPs

 Processes Involved
• Integration of the environmental planning
aspects into the overall planning, land use,
transport and engineering studies.
• SEA was an integral component in the
decision making process.
• The option ultimately selected was optimal
from an environmental perspective, which
could be demonstrated through the
findings and interpretation of the SEA.
 Screening for PPs
Environmental Authority determines (max 30 days) whether PPs
are likely to have significant effect through:
•Case by case
•Types of PPs
•Both approaches.

In all the above cases take in account the different criterias

•consultation with the public and relevant authorities (article 14).

The outcome of the Environmental Authority are published in the

governmental journal, 2 daily newspapers, internet and a registry.

In the case where the Environmental Authority decides that the

preparation of an SEA study is not necessary, it asks the opinion
of the Committee, which is taken into consideration for the final
decision.
 Development plans
Development Plans (DPs):
•Area schemes
•Local plans
•Countryside policy
•Island plan

There is a legal obligation to assess the impacts on the

environment during the first preparatory act (after 21.7.2004) of
the elaboration of a PPs and before its approval .

During the review of a DP, the consultation and until the

publication, the area under consideration may be defined by the
Council of Ministers as White Zone.

The period of consultation until the publication of the DP is 4

months.
 Scoping for PPs
The Competent Authority asks for a written opinion from the
Environmental Authority on the type of the information that shall
be included in the Environmental Report.

The information provided to the Environmental Authority is:

•Description of the nature of PPs
•Map of the area concern
•Any other relevant information.
 Environmental Report
The Competent Authority or the consultant who prepares the ER
must include information related to:
•Annex I
•Other relevant information i.e. methods of assessment, level of
details
•Non Technical summary

The Environmental Authority may consult the authorities to decide

the scope and details of the information which must be included in
the ER.
 SEA Methods
Quantitative methods: Cost-benefit analysis (CBA), Multi-
criteria analysis (MCA), Computer modelling, Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
Qualitative methods: Checklists, Matrices, Workshops,
Surveys
Methods Plan Programme
Workshops ↔ ↔
Overlay mapping √ X
Impact matrices √ ↔
MCA X √
CBA X √
Checklists ↔ √
(Thomas B. Fischer)
 Consultation (article 14)

The environmental report shall be available to the public.

At the time of submission of the SEA study any person can

express opinion to the Environmental Authority within 35 days of
the date of publication of the main details of the study.

The Competent Authority carries out consultations with:

•relevant public organisations, local authorities, government
services, or public organisations with special environmental
competencies.
•Public affected or having an interest in PPs
•public hearing decided by the Council of Ministers
 Decision making
The Environmental Authority takes into account the suggestions of
the Committee members and prepares its opinion.

The Competent Authority before making its decision regarding the

PPs takes into consideration the:
•SEA study
•Views expressed the opinion of the Environmental Authority
•Results of any public inquiry
•Results of any consultations with other member states.

If the Competent Authority disagrees with any of the terms

specified by the opinion of the Environmental Authority then the
matter is referred to the Council of Ministers for decision.

The Environmental Authority and the public is informed with the

content of the decision and the associated terms, the PPs as
approved, description of the way of incorporating the opinion’s
terms and the reasonable alternatives examined.
Difference between EIA and SEA

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is

used to identify the environmental and social
impacts of a proposed project prior to
decision-making in order to predict
environmental impacts at an early stage in
project planning and design
strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is
used at the policy, planning and programming
levels.
 SEA versus EIA

SEA EIA
Assessment Plans and Projects
Programmes
Scale Macro Micro
Scope Larger range of Smaller range of
activities on a wider activities on a local
area scale
Baseline Less details / More details /
qualitative quantitative
Alternatives and Greater emphasis / Less emphasis /
cumulative effects integrate specific
Consultation Larger range of Smaller range of
individuals individuals
 SEA problems

1. PPs do not have clear boundaries

2. PPs can have unintended and unpredictable outcomes
3. Policy making is a political process
4. Great uncertainty and analytical complexity
5. Lack of information regarding the nature of future
developments
6. The size of the area under consideration
7. The timescale over which analysis is required is uncertain
 SEA benefits
1. Promotes integrated environmental decision-making and
public participation in environmental policy-making
2. Facilitates design of environmentally sustainable PPs
3. Provides for consideration of a larger range of alternatives
than in normally possible in project EIA
4. Takes account of cumulative effects and global change
5. Strengthens and streamlines project EIA by prior identification
of impacts and information requirements and reducing time
and effort to conduct reviews
6. Access to more stakeholders through public consultation
7. A cooperative process between scientists and decision-makers
8. Improve good governance and public trust
 Application of SEA
• Sectors (e.g., energy, tourism)
• Geographic areas (e.g., land use or development plans at various scales -
local, regional, national, international and global)
• Actions that do not give rise to projects but that may result in significant
environmental impact (e.g., new technologies, privatization, agricultural
practices)
• SEA occurs at all different scales from
local regional global
• Different scales address different types of impacts (e.g., international-level
SEAs focus on global issues while local SEAs address local issues)
• All SEAs address cumulative impacts
• Most common application of SEA has been the assessment of
environmental impacts of land use plans at the municipal and regional level
 Barriers to Implementing SEA
• Lack of clear definition, established methodology and mechanisms for
implementation
• Political resistance
• Difficulty defining when and how SEA should be applied (i.e., policies, plans
and programs are generally nebulous, non-linear, complex and iterative
making it difficult to know exactly what and when a policy should be
assessed)
• Inherent complexity in analyzing policy impacts (e.g., high uncertainty, lack
of knowledge, many and unclear cause and effect relationships)
• Tendency to apply assessment after policy has been developed
• Institutional difficulties in pursuing integrated policy and planning practices
(e.g., difficulty in adopting holistic and broad scale thinking, inter-agency
coordination, development of mutual policy)
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• Uncertainty and technical limitations
– since SEAs generally cover large areas, collecting and analyzing
data is very complex
– subject to greater levels of uncertainty
– limited information available, specially when collecting data from
different countries (e.g., determining ecological and socio-
economic carrying capacities)
• Accepting short-term pain for long-term gain
• Lack of resources (e.g., information, expertise, financial)
• Lack of strategies for effectively involving the public
Requirements for Effective SEA
Systems
• Political commitment and organizational support
• Clear provisions and requirements
• Use of appropriate methods
• Mechanisms for overview and monitoring,
compliance and performance
• Follow-up and feedback capability