Integration Of Strategic Environmental Assessment Research Articles

Procedure for implementation of strategic environmental assessment in the field of land management on the basis of integration models

This article analyses the legal framework for strategic environmental assessment of state planning documents in the EU, where such an assessment has been conducted for a long time, as well as in Ukraine. The lack of scientific and methodological bases for the implementation of the procedure of strategic environmental assessment in the field of land management has been established. The procedure for implementing the SEA in land management has been updated, namely for land management documentation, that is a subject to such assessment. The stage of development of such documentation on which it is most expedient to carry out SEA is offered. In the framework of this study, land management documentation, that is a subject to strategic environmental assessment, as well as the conditions under which individual documents are subject to SEA are defined. The goals and objectives of the SEA in the field of land management are defined, as well as the main stages of the SEA, in particular in the field of land management. We have analysed the models of integration of strategic environmental assessment into land management and found that the introduction of partial and complete models of integration of SEA into land management is the most appropriate. The list of components which should be contained by the SEA of land management documentation is offered, and also the most expedient analytical tools necessary at realization of SEA are defined.

Integration of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Social Impact Assessment into Strategic Territorial Planning: Lessons Learned from Two Cases of Tourism Destinations In Protected Areas

Integration of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Social Impact Assessment into Strategic Territorial Planning: Lessons Learned from Two Cases of Tourism Destinations In Protected Areas

Establishment and application of urbanization strategic environmental assessment integration technology system

Urbanization strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is an effective instrument to enhance the harmonious development of urban complex system, integrating of environment and development in decision-making. Urbanization strategic environmental assessment integration technology system (SEA-ITS) is composed of “3S” (RS, GIS and GPS), environmental expert system and environmental model system, coupling with appropriate SEA working process closely. In this paper, the structure and components of SEA-ITS are analyzed based on Chinese characteristics, meanwhile methods to fulfill the following system functions are discussed: urbanization SEA inquiring, analysis, discrimination, assessment, prediction, decision-making and output. Moreover, methods and technologies employed in different urbanization SEA hierarchies are summarized. As a case study, urbanization SEA-ITS is applied in Changchun City to solving complex real problems. Methods such as system dynamics and grey cluster are adopted to achieve the environmental impact assessment on the eco-industrial system planning. It is revealed that the system designed is capable of reflecting the dynamic behavior of eco-industrial system under different scenarios, meanwhile accomplishing strategy optimization and supplying scientific reference. The 4th strategy, namely concerning on economy increase and its interaction with science, technology and environment progress, would have the best efficiency. Further, more attention should be paid to the secondary development of integration techniques and function modification system of urbanization SEA-ITS.

Athens 2004 Olympic Games' Transportation Plan: a missed opportunity for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) integration?

During the 1990s, a considerable debate on the integration of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) with the policy, plan and programming process took place among scholars throughout the world. This debate is relevant today, especially in the context of Sustainable Development (SD) as it is maintained that the integration of environmental concerns in policy, plan and programme (PPP) making, is a step towards sustainable planning practices. This is also the rationale behind the recent enactment of the European Union (EU) Directive on the `assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment' (or `SEA Directive') which requires that following the 21st July 2004, all member states' authorities preparing certain formal plans or programmes should undertake SEAs by preparing an environmental report describing the potential effects of plans and programmes upon the environment. This paper applies an integrative SEA/PPP framework, to the transport planning process of a major international athletic event: the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. It was found that despite the lack of a formal SEA in place, there are positive signs for its future integration in similar studies in Greece. Furthermore, it is recommended through comparison with other SEAs for Olympic Games, that weight should be given to the co-ordination of the common stages of the PPP and SEA processes, if SEA practice is to be encouraged in countries with underdeveloped SEA systems such as Greece.

A CASE STUDY ON POLICY-STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: THE ECO-AUDIT OF THE IRISH NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2000–2006

This paper, which is based on a recent research project, offers an insight into the experience of integration of Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment (SEA) within government policy-making in Ireland, and Greater Dublin in particular. This is materialised by means of appraising the degree of integration of the Eco-Audit process with the transport policy-making process of the Irish National Development Plan (2000–2006). The recent establishment of the Eco-Audit guidelines by the Irish government in 1999 is the first attempt to institutionalise a type of policy-SEA in Ireland and one of few internationally. Therefore, it can be seen as a "good practice" case study that could potentially provide the context for transference of experience on SEA integration in similar institutional settings in other countries as well in different decision-making levels within Ireland. The paper concludes that this initiative undoubtedly promotes SEA practice at a sensitive government policy level and provides useful ideas for further SEA integration in the future shaping of the Eco-Audit model.

Integration of strategic environmental assessment into regional spatial planning

This article presents the findings from a project on integration of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) into regional planning in Northern Jutland County in Denmark. It was initiated with an analysis of various European examples of SEA of spatial plans. The aim was to test the concept of SEA at the level of spatial planning and support its practical use in the process of revising a regional spatial plan for Northern Jutland County, carried out from the beginning of 1995 to the end of 1997. Several approaches to environmental assessment were tried out, a model for the integration of SEA in regional spatial planning was developed and parts of it tested in practice. Finally, the whole process was evaluated during the autumn of 1998.

Rationality in decision- and policy-making: implications for strategic environmental assessment

A proper integration of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) into policy-making processes is considered critical to the success of SEA. Most of the work in SEA seems to be based on the assumption that the provision of rational information will help improve decision-making, but the literature points to other characteristics of real decision-making processes, including cognitive limitations, behavioural biases, ambiguity and variability of preferences and norms, distribution of decision-making over actors and in time, and the notion of decision-making as a process of learning and negotiation between multiple actors. All these are very relevant at the planning and policy level. In the policy sciences literature, some approaches may also hold promise for SEA, such as supporting an open learning process, variety in ways to support and roles to play in these processes, and paying more attention to the actor configuration and distribution of interests, as a basis for finding implementable and effective solutions to policy problems. The elaboration of these ideas holds promises as well as challenges for SEA.