Towards effective scoping in strategic environmental assessment

Abstract

The scoping phase in strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is considered a central issue for the effectiveness of the whole SEA process, enhancing decision-making. Understanding SEA should be context-specific and scoping is paramount for a robust SEA; the main goal of this research was to develop a framework for the evaluation of the procedural effectiveness of the scoping stage in a specific political and planning system context -Portugal. The framework developed comprises a set of 21 criteria divided into six broad themes and was applied to 20 Portuguese SEA scoping reports, through content analysis. Overall, it was found that mandatory issues in the Portuguese SEA context were met and the scoping reports used mainly national guidelines. However, issues of public participation are often discarded and there is no evidence that scoping starts early in the decision-making process, or if it is done concurrently. Nonetheless, the framework developed establishes best practice for the SEA scoping phase, needing to be adapted to the different political and planning system contexts in order to reflect legal and institutional specificities.

New Process, Same Doubts: Participants’ Perceptions of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Western Newfoundland

“…The responses of most participants recognised key elements of SEA and they concluded for themselves that the Western NL SEA was not strategic. In coming to this conclusion they focused in on the limited scope of the assessment and the lack of consideration of cumulative effects, two issues the literature establishes as central to SEA (Bonnell and Storey, 2000;Polido and Ramos, 2015). The literature also reveals other researchers (e.g.…”

Good Practices in Strategic Environmental Assessment Processes under the Brazilian Practitioners’ Vision

“…Although this GP has clear positive effects, it should be noted that its employment is still limited. In a work analyzing 20 Portuguese SEAs, it was found that 80% were not developed simultaneously with the PPP and in other cases, this was only partially done [18].…”

“…In a sample of 100 reports of SEAs, 52% showed a public participation process in strict compliance with the law; there was only occasional involvement of interested parties in 29% of the cases and in five SEAs there was no action in this regard [25]. In 20 Portuguese SEAs, 75% of the processes did not promote public participation in the scope phase and in all cases there was no stakeholder consultation [18]. However, there are also successful examples of public participation [11].…”

“…Also in this GP there is much to improve. Communication strategies were insufficient in 18 out 20 Portuguese SEAs and only 25% of reports inform the public about the existence of a specific website for the assessment process [18].…”

Strategic Environmental Assessment practices in European small islands: Insights from Azores and Orkney islands

“…Due to the special administrative status of the Portuguese autonomous regions of Azores and Madeira, the Decree-Law allows its adaptation through specific regional legislative procedures by the regional authorities. In 2010, the Azores adapted it through the Regional Decree-Law 30/2010/A (see Polido and Ramos, 2015).…”