Strategic Environmental Assessment

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Strategic Environmental Assessment

• Joseph Somevi SEA Officer

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Lesson Aim

• The aim of this lesson is to equip you with a
  basic understanding of the strategic
  environmental assessment and its process.

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Main Points of the Lesson

• By the end of the lesson, you should be able to
• Define Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
• Explain why SEA is necessary
• Discuss how SEA delivers sustainable development
• List the sources of law relating to SEA
• List at least three core elements of the SEA
  process
• Mention at least two roles of Services in
  relation to SEA
• Identify three options for implementing SEA
• Undertake a screening exercise

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Introduction

• Learning how to carry out strategic environmental
  assessment (SEA) will help every Service not only
  to meet the legal requirements for SEA it will
  also help improve the planning process, promote
  sustainable development as well as partnership
  among Services and other stakeholders. This
  lesson is designed to provide the basic
  background information to the concept,
  philosophy, process and the legal basis for SEA.

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 DEFINITION PHILOSOPHY OF SEA

• What is strategic environmental assessment (SEA)?
  
• It is the environmental assessment of policies,
  strategies, plans and programmes
• It is a systematic process for evaluating the
  environmental consequences of proposed policy,
  plan or programme initiatives in order to ensure
  they are fully included and appropriately
  addressed at the earliest appropriate stage of
  decision making on par with economic and social
  considerations (Sadler Verham 1996).

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Definition Philosophy of SEA

• The EU Directive defines SEA as
• Preparing an environmental report on the likely
  significant effects of the draft plan or
  programme
• Carrying out consultation on the draft plan or
  programme and the accompanying environmental
  report
• Taking into account the environmental report and
  the results of the consultation in
  decision-making and
• Providing information when the draft plan or
  programmes is adopted showing how the results of
  the environmental assessment have been taken into
  account.

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B. Why should SEA be undertaken?

• SEA addresses the limitations of EIA
• Indirect, Secondary and Derived impacts
• Cumulative and Synergistic impacts
• (Beyond the reach of strategic impacts

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Power Station
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Pylons
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Pipelines
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Distribution lines
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Cumulative Effects
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Road
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Service Stations
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Development
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Path Networks
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Path Network
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Path Network
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Why SEA Contd.

• Strength of SEA
• Address limitations of SEA
• Integrate the environment and sustainable
  development into planning processes
• Provide high protection to the environment
• Promote a more open, transparent and
  evidenced-based planning culture

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The Legal Framework

• Relevant laws
• EU Directive 2001/42/EC
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
  Protocol on SEA (23 May 2003)
• The Environmental Assessment of Plans and
  Programmes (Scotland) Regulations 2004
• The Environmental Assessment of Plans and
  Programmes (Scotland) Act 2005

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The Legal Framework contd.

• Application of Laws
• Implemented SEA by 21 July 2004
• Define minimum environmental issues
• Requires assessment and not appraisal
• More rigour, More quantitative analysis and More
  collection of baseline
• Applies to certain plans and programmes
• Considers environmental Effects
• (not sustainability effects)

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The Legal Framework contd.

• Defines some objectives
• Lists elements of the process
• Provides framework the reports
• Emphasise consultations
• Expect SEA to influence strategic action

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SEA Process
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A. Sustainable Development

• From the theory
• Development that meets
• The needs of the present
• No compromise for the ability of future
• generations to meet their needs

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Sustainable Development Cont.

• In practical terms, it is promoting
• Environmental sustainability
• Social sustainability and
• Economic sustainability
• In a consistent and compatible manner

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Model 1

• Economic

Social
Environmental
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Model 2

• Environmental

Social
Economic
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Sustainable Development Contd.

1. Equal weight is given to the three elements
2. Greater weight is given to the environment
3. Subjecting everything to the environment
4. Scottish laws lean towards the environment

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Exercise 1 See Students Notes
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SEA Environmental Sustainability

• This is achieved through many environmental
  issues
• Relevant environmental issues include
• Air, water and soil
• Climatic factors and biodiversity (fauna flora)
• Cultural heritage (archaeological and
  architectural heritage) and landscape

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SEA Environmental Sustainability contd.

• It is also achieved through the assessment
  process
• Building trends and comparators into baseline
  data
• Addressing environmental problems in the areas
• Subjecting the plan to
• Other Relevant Plans, Programmes and
• Environmental Protection Objectives
• Subjecting the plan to SEA objectives and
  indicators

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SEA Environmental Sustainability contd.

• Assessing significant effects reveals key issues
• Mitigation irreversible impacts by avoiding them
• Compensating/minimising reversible impacts
• Monitoring plan implementation
• Allows future unexpected impacts to addressed
• Allows planning for contingencies

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SEA Social Sustainability

• Through one or more environmental issues
• Population and health issues are addressed
• Improve health and reduce health inequalities
• Promote healthy living
• Protect and enhance human health
• Reduce and prevent crime and the fear of crime
• Increase opportunities for recreation exercise

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SEA Social Sustainability Contd.

• SEA promotes
• Participation Consultations
• Workshops, forums working groups
• Provision of information to the public
• Through these actions, we build
• Stakeholder relations
• Community cohesion interconnected

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B. SEA Economic Sustainability

• Through one or more environmental issues
• The SEA Directive protects material assets
• Material assets include property and funds
• They include residential and commercial property
• They include industrial plant machinery
• Landscape cultural heritage attract tourists
• SEA saves time and cost during project consents

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Exercise 2 See Students notes
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Screening Councils Plans Programmes

• How is SEA likely to affect you? (Exercise
  Notes)
• Screening is required in all cases
• To determine a case for SEA
• To determine a case for exclusion

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E. Implementation of SEA for Services

• Modes of delivering SEA
• Outsourcing to external consultants
• In-house SEA
• Combination of the two
• Pros and Cons of delivery modes
• In-house SEA vs. Outsourcing

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3. Support

• Training
• Templates
• Manuals
• Case Studies
• References
• Sources of Data
• Practical Support

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Q A