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Handbook on Strategic Environmental Assessment

9781789909920 Edward Elgar Publishing

Research Handbooks on Impact Assessment series

Edited by Thomas B. Fischer, Environmental Assessment and Management Research Centre, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK and Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North West University, South Africa and Ainhoa González, School of Geography, University College Dublin and the Earth Institute, Ireland

Publication Date: 2021 ISBN: 978 1 78990 992 0 Extent: 480 pp

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Critical Acclaim

Contributors

Contents

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This comprehensive Handbook shows how Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), an important decision support tool for strategies, policies, plans and programmes, is applied globally. It reflects on SEA practices and the advancements made over the past three decades in the development of SEA.

Forty-six expert international contributors discuss the conceptual approaches and applications of SEA in 31 countries, examining numerous sectors, including land-use, transport, energy and water. They also explore how SEA is applied at trans-national, national, regional and local levels, and at a range of decision tiers, including in strategy and policy, as well as in plans and programmes. Analysing how different situations of application are systematically approached, chapters provide a critical insight into the objectives of SEA and the range of methodologies that are available. Taking a forward-thinking approach, the Handbook also identifies key trends and prospects for SEA in addition to addressing issues of SEA effectiveness and theory development.

This Handbook will be a valuable resource for academics and students of environmental governance and regulation. It will also be beneficial for impact assessment practitioners, environmental NGOs and policy makers in the fields of environment and sustainability.

Critical Acclaim

‘Rather than a procedure or a specific approach SEA is considered a toolkit or a family of tools. This fits well with the concept of “selection logic” the authors of this book suggest as a basis of an SEA theory: a concept that would allow SEA practitioners to select the best methods, processes and strategies for a given application.’
– From the Foreword by Rob Verheem, Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment

‘If you want to know what’s happening in the developed and developing world in applying Strategic Environmental Assessment, this is the definitive account. The evolving practices surrounding this important decision-making tool are ably and thoughtfully presented. In addition, the editors have done a masterful job of putting together a balanced presentation on the current “state of the art” as well as presenting a number of thoughtful observations on the development of a theory of SEA. This is the essential Handbook for teachers, students and practitioners of SEA.’
– William V. Kennedy, Director of the Office of Accountability, US International Development Finance Corporation

Contributors

Contributors: R.C. Alberts, D. Annandale, T. Aung, B. Balfors, T. Burdett, C. Cameron, C. Chanchitpricha, J. Coles, M. Dahmen, C. Faith-Ell, T.B. Fischer, G. Geißler, D. Geneletti, M. Golobič, A. González, M. Hanusch, S.J. Hayes, C. Hörnberg, U. Jha-Thakur, R. Jiliberto H, S. Khoshkar, J. Köppel, A.C. Malvestio, N. Marot, M. Montaño, R. Morgan, A. Morrison-Saunders, S.E. Mustow, T. Muthoora, B.F. Noble, C. O’Mahony, M.R. Partidário, C. Purcell, A. Rajvanshi, A. Rehhausen, F.P. Retief, P. Scott, R. Slootweg, C. Steenkamp, K. Swangjang, N. Sworowski, O. Sykes, N. Taylor, R. Thérivel, G.M. Tshibangu, K. Uttam

Contents

Contents:

Foreword by Rob Verheem xix
Preface xxi

PART I INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction to Handbook on Strategic Environmental Assessment 2
Thomas B. Fischer and Ainhoa González

PART II APPROACHES TO STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
2 Multi-project-based strategic environmental assessment: practice in Germany 11
Anke Rehhausen, Marie Hanusch and Thomas B. Fischer
3 Objectives for , of and in strategic environmental assessment: UK
practice as an example 24
Samuel J. Hayes and Thomas B. Fischer
4 Strategic thinking for sustainability (ST4S) in strategic environmental assessment 39
Maria R. Partidário
5 Territorial impact assessment: a policy assessment-like strategic
environmental assessment in action 56
Naja Marot, Thomas B. Fischer, Olivier Sykes, Mojca Golobič,
Tara Muthoora and Ainhoa González
6 GIS-based strategic environmental assessment 78
Ainhoa González and Davide Geneletti

PART III ISSUES OF EFFECTIVENESS
7 Strategic environmental assessment effectiveness 98
Riki Thérivel and Ainhoa González
8 Does strategic environmental assessment lead to more environmentally
sustainable decisions? Reflections on its substantive effectiveness 112
Thomas B. Fischer and Francois P. Retief
9 Guidelines for strategic environmental assessment in developing
countries: examples from Asia 124
David Annandale, Thomas B. Fischer, Marcelo Montaño, Caroline Purcell,
Jonathan Coles and Thiri Aung

PART IV PRACTICE
SECTION 1 SECTORAL APPLICATIONS
10 Strategic environmental assessment of spatial land-use plans 140
Ainhoa González
11 Strategic environmental assessment in transport planning 162
Charlotta Faith-Ell and Thomas B. Fischer
12 Strategic environmental assessment in the energy sector 180
Gesa Geißler, Marie Dahmen and Johann Köppel
13 Strategic environmental assessment in the water sector 201
Stephen Eric Mustow

SECTION 2 INTEGRATION THROUGH STRATEGIC
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
14 Integration through strategic environmental assessment: the case of
health in English strategic planning 218
Thomas B. Fischer, Tara Muthoora and Nicola Sworowski
15 Integrating appropriate assessment and strategic environmental assessment 233
Paul Scott
16 Integration of climatic factors into strategic environmental assessment 246
Cian O’Mahony
17 Ecosystem services in strategic environmental assessment: an
integrating concept in a world of silos 264
Roel Slootweg

SECTION 3 COUNTRY-SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS OF STRATEGIC
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
18 Strategic environmental assessment in Australia 282
Tanya Burdett and Carolyn Cameron
19 Strategic environmental assessment in Canada 303
Bram F. Noble
20 Towards advancing strategic environmental assessment practice:
learning from experiences of eight European countries 317
Sara Khoshkar, Kedar Uttam, Berit Balfors, Christina Hörnberg and
Thomas B. Fischer
21 Strategic environmental assessment in New Zealand 330
Richard Morgan and Nick Taylor
22 Strategic environmental assessment in South Africa: ‘The Road Not Taken’ 347
Francois P. Retief, Carli Steenkamp and Reece C. Alberts
23 Strategic environmental assessment in Brazil: an endangered species? 361
Marcelo Montaño, Ghislain Mwamba Tshibangu and Anne Caroline Malvestio
24 Strategic environmental assessment in Chile: an unfulfilled strategic promise 372
Rodrigo Jiliberto H
25 Strategic environmental assessment in India: trends and prospects 386
Urmila Jha-Thakur and Asha Rajvanshi
26 Addressing the spectrum of strategic environmental assessment
potential: evolving practice in Thailand and its effectiveness 401
Chaunjit Chanchitpricha, Kanokporn Swangjang and Angus Morrison-Saunders

PART V CONCLUSIONS
27 Conclusions: towards a theory of strategic environmental assessment? 424
Thomas B. Fischer and Ainhoa González

Index