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Planning and regional policy
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Home > Our work > Policy > Planning and regional policy > Strategic Environmental Assessment and biodiversity: guidance for practitioners
Strategic Environmental Assessment
The European DirectiveThe European Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) came into force on 21 July 2004. It applies to a wide range of plans and programmes prepared by statutory agencies, regional planning bodies, local authorities and others. The Directive aims to ensure environmental protection and sustainable development by requiring an assessment of the environmental effects of plans and programmes to be carried out as they are being developed. Public participation is an integral part of the SEA process. Strategic Environmental Assessment and Biodiversity: guidance for practitionersThe RSPB, together with the Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature and the Environment Agency, has published guidance on Strategic Environmental Assessment and biodiversity, aiming to help ensure that biodiversity considerations are appropriately addressed in SEAs. The guidance explains step-by-step how biodiversity implications can be considered at each stage in SEA. It examines links between SEA and other procedures, such as sustainability appraisal, ‘appropriate assessment’ under the Habitats Directive, and project Environmental Impact Assessment. It also provides a ‘toolkit’ of more specific techniques for promoting biodiversity through SEA. An electronic version of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Biodiversity: Guidance for Practitioners can be downloaded from this page by clicking on the link to the right. Strategic Environmental Assessment – learning from practiceThe RSPB has also published a booklet of strategic environmental assessment case studies, showing how practitioners around the UK are rising to the challenge of carrying out effective SEA for public plans and programmes. SEA is a vital tool in tackling some of our biggest environmental challenges like climate change and habitat loss. Strategic environmental assessment – learning from practice features examples of SEA practice provided by professionals from around the UK. These case studies show how SEA and sustainability appraisal (SA) are being approached in various sectors to help improve the environmental sustainability of plans and programmes. Each example demonstrates an aspect of SEA or SA that has been carried out to a high standard, in our view. As long as these aspects form part of a high quality SEA process and decision-makers are willing to accept the SEA findings, this should help to ensure an environmentally sound plan or programme. Some of these case studies show an innovative or unusual approach to an aspect of SEA practice. We have also given some good practice advice on SEA – starting the process early, involving stakeholders, recommending changes to the plan and reporting effectively. Through demonstrating how SEA can be carried out effectively in practice, we hope our booklet inspires authorities to seek and deliver the greatest possible benefits from the SEA process. An electronic version of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Biodiversity - learning from practice can be downloaded from this page by clicking on the link to the right. To obtain a free paper copy of this publication, please contact Julia Barker. Contact
Last modified: 25 July 2007 |
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Rape seed, close up - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Three puffins standing on a rock - Steve Round
Ice glacier, Jökulsárlón, Iceland - (iStockPhoto, Ref: 1809179)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)