Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

Sustainability indicators (SIs) are important elements in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes. By means of Content Analysis, the documentary study underlying this paper aimed to characterise and analyse the use of SIs in the final reports of 32 SEAs conducted in Brazil. The results are that 30 SEAs utilise SIs, aiming to make the baseline of the study (all of them), anticipate and monitor the effects of the plan or program (73.3%), compare scenarios (46.7%) and/or alternatives (26.7%). Reports have shortcomings in addressing the SIs, such as insufficient description of the selection process, no reference to the selection criteria adopted, and the use of vague and poorly formulated SIs, that are often expressed in the form of impact or objective. Other aspects related to SIs are analysed, with the quantification of their occurrence. The study also highlighted good practices identified in SEAs, which may improve the management of SIs in future processes.

One of the requirements for a good Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is its capacity to adjust itself to the planned decision-making process. This paper presents recent experiences involving the application of SEA in Brazil in three different contexts. In the first case, an SEA was conducted to meet a request of the Ministry of Tourism for information to prepare the Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism in the North Coast. The second case is an initiative undertaken by the Secretary of Environment of the State of Bahia for the construction of a seaport-industrial complex in the region of Ilhéus (Bahia). Finally, an SEA commissioned by a group of environmental NGOs to assess options for the development of a mining-metal and chemical-gas complex in the Pantanal Region near the Bolivian and Paraguayan border is presented. The paper highlights the differences in the contexts of the three studies (responsibilities in the decision-making process, stages of the planning process, etc.) as well as in their methodological approaches. Difficulties, gaps, advances and findings in each case are also analysed to assess the effectiveness of each SEA.

Historical records of socio-environmental impacts related to large-scale iron ore development in Brazil are driving different planning approaches in the burgeoning iron mining and smelting complex of Corumbá, located at the border of the Pantanal ecosystem in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Among the most relevant efforts are two strategic environmental assessments (SEA): one was led by a mining company and the other by a civil society committee. This paper assesses to what extent these SEAs can contribute to the mitigation of negative socio-environmental impacts of the Corumbá Complex. It also evaluates if the SEA methodologies meet a number of SEA Performance Criteria. The analyses, which were based on literature reviews and content analysis of the SEA documents, reveal that the two SEAs represent an important effort to incorporate environmental variables into more strategic levels of the Pantanal region's planning. Nonetheless, both SEAs have serious limitations, given that they are not formally nested in governmental policies, plans and programmes.

In a context of unregulated practice, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) contribution to environmentally sound decision-making may be difficult to gauge. Recent Brazilian experience, where there is no legal requirement for SEA, was studied by reviewing cases selected by considering distinctive drivers for undertaking an assessment, varied locations and different consultancies hired to prepare the report. A quality review checklist was used to evaluate the contents of SEA reports according to: (i) adherence to good practice; (ii) technical quality and adequacy to decision-making processes; (iii) achievement of sound and enduring environmental benefits. Interviews aimed at gauging their actual influence. SEAs reached a relatively high level of technical quality and procedural effectiveness, but very low substantive effectiveness. Influence on decision-making varied from null to limited consideration of information in developing programs. The main challenge for SEA in unregulated contexts is to demonstrate its value to decision-makers and citizens' organisations.

In Mexico, the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) is the public entity that is responsible for the annual preparation of the national programme of the electricity system development with a 15 year horizon (POISE in Spanish). Besides this national planning process, there are regional plans as well as others regarding the development of hydroelectric and geothermoelectric projects; these plans are essential inputs to prepare the POISE. Another key decision window is the site selection of the projects listed in the Program.

For a few years the Environmental Protection Division of CFE has been promoting the incorporation of SEA into the decision-making processes of the company. Two regional SEAs have been made so far. This paper presents the actions carried out to incorporate SEA into CFE since 2002, as well as the methodologies followed in each of the two cases, and primarily the lessons learned from these experiences.

In order to support Strategic Environmental Assessment of spatial plans, different scenarios were developed for the future configuration of wetlands along the coast of La Araucanía Region for 2020. To assess each scenario, landscape metrics related to landscape dynamics and structure were used. The results indicate that in general terms the wetland cover diminished and fragmented under different scenarios, including one which was designed for the sustainability of natural areas. It is concluded that the techniques used were relatively easy to implement by means of GIS technologies, which facilitate spatially explicit modelling of future scenarios. Furthermore, landscape metrics were a key element for assessing the effects of each model. There are currently only few experiences on the use of spatially explicit scenarios in SEA and our research suggests that this may be a useful and valid tool for supporting spatial planning decisions.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been recognised worldwide as a tool that helps to assure the inclusion of environmental aspects in the formulation of policies, plans and programmes (PPPs) and citizen participation into the higher levels of decision-making processes. Despite of its relevance, Mexico is to date one of the few Latin-American countries which do not have this tool inserted in its legal and institutional frameworks. In this paper we present the results of a literature review of the historical development of SEA in the world and its legal framework and current state in Mexico.

After the first applications in the early 1990's, the practice of SEA in Brazil has been going through a slow, but important evolution. In this paper we elaborate on the main aspects of this evolution, based on the findings of a comparative study that put the practice of SEA in different contexts into perspective. SEA systems considered included consolidated (UK, Spain and Portugal) and unconsolidated (South Africa, Mexico, Angola and Mozambique) systems. The Brazilian system is characterised by a disperse structure and a low level of self-organisation, which makes integration with plan making difficult while, at the same time, stimulating "flexible" and "adaptive" SEA processes. We suggest that the lack of both, institutional drivers and a clear procedural framework are hindering further development of the Brazilian system.