What is SEA?

A new milestone towards Sustainable Development is the implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive.   The Directive, which came in to effect in July 2004,   covers a process whereby plans and projects, whether local, regional, or national, are evaluated for their consequences on the environment at an early stage of the decision making process.  This process allows the integration of environmental issues into plans and programmes from the outset, thus avoiding conflicts between socio-economic and environmental issues when the plan or programme is being finalized.  It is an important step towards integrating environmental considerations into strategic decision-making.

When is SEA Required?

SEA is required for all plans and projects that "set the framework for future development consent of projects” across all sectors, including transport, energy, fisheries, forestry, waste and water management, and land use planning.  Projects covered by the directive include County Development Plans, regional planning guidelines, Local Area Plans, and sectoral development plans such as waste management plans.  As with Environmental Impact Assessment, the environmental impacts of plans and programmes must be predicted, evaluated and mitigated against.

SEA and Biodiversity

Biodiversity is an intrinsic yet often overlooked aspect of our environment and sustainable development, and as such must also be considered in SEA.  SEA has been identified in key international agreements as an important tool for promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.  As biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, the importance of considering the effects of plans and projects on biodiversity cannot be understated. 

The Directive incorporates two key principles in relation to biodiversity; the ‘precautionary principle’ which calls for the avoidance of potential negative impacts on ecosystems and the wider environment; and the principle of ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity as a result of the plan or programme. It is thus absolutely crucial that that this Directive is implemented according to its intent and full remit, and that biodiversity is key in each SEA carried out. 

The SEA directive also requires consideration of effects on human health and welfare, air and water quality, cultural heritage, landscape, and climate change effects. The inclusion of ‘climatic factors’ as an issue that is to be assessed in SEA demonstrates the potential of SEA to serve as a tool for coping with climate change. The effects of climate change on landscapes and biodiversity can be identified and considered in spatial planning and political decision-making.

How is it being implemented in Ireland?

A snapshot report carried out by the European Environmental Bureau called ‘Biodiversity in Strategic Environmental Assessment’ looked at the quality of national transposition and application of the directive across Europe.  The report found that the SEA Directive is still far from delivering its full potential.  Whilst Ireland transposed the Directive on time, there appear to be some gaps left between what we have transposed and what the Directive itself calls for.  Ireland certainly does not seem to be living up to the requirements on public participation and stakeholder involvement, and we have failed to carry out an SEA in some cases.  The most significant Government project announced since the SEA Directive came in to force has been the ‘Transport 21’ in November 2005, which has simply ignored the Directive. 

A formula is being adopted by Local Authorities in Ireland where SEA is being retrospectively tacked on to the Development Plan Processes, without addressing the key requirements of the of the Directive of integrating prior assessment with decision making.  Consultants for local authorities have adopted a token SEA formula with a tick box system of checklists and matrices designed to feign the appearance of SEA compliance. 

To quote from Professor Riki Theraville, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) “has the potential to make the world a greener and more liveable place.  It also has the potential to be a dreary and resource intensive formality, applied in a grudging minimalist fashion by people who just hate having to do it, adding still further to some great useless administrative burden paid for by hapless taxpayers” (in ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment in Action’ by Riki Therivel 2004).  We must keep a careful eye to ensure that the latter scenario does not play out in Ireland.