11. Other SEA systems
Many countries now have some type of SEA system: regulations requiring SEA, guidance recommending SEA (or various SEA procedures and techniques), and/or experience in carrying out SEAs. The SEA-Wiki contains information about SEA systems from around the world. Dalal-Clayton and Sadler (2005) and Schmidt et al. (2005) give excellent overviews of SEA practice worldwide to 2005.
Some of the better-know SEA systems are:
- Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requires a form of SEA, and various Australian states (notably Western Australia) have their own SEA-type systems
- Canadian Cabinet Directive on SEA 1990 (revised 1999) applies to federal policy, plan or program proposals; some provinces have their own SEA system
- China's Environmental Impact Assessment Law of 2002 requires SEA of long-term plans at national, provincial and sector level, and of short-term project plans at local level
- Member States of the European Community are subject to the European SEA Directive - see Unit 10
- Hong Kong's EIA Ordinance of 1998 requires SEA, and more than 20 plans have been subject to SEA to date
- New Zealand's Resource Management Act of 1991 does not specifically require SEA, but provides a general mandate for SEA
- South Africa has an 'SEA primer' and considerable SEA practice, though no formal SEA regulation
- The US National Environmental Policy Act 1969 requires SEA for a range of federal actions - see Unit 9
Some of these systems focus more on policies, others more on programmes; some combine SEA with broader forms of sustainability appraisal, whilst others focus only on environmental impacts; some lead to very detailed, almost EIA-type assessments, whilst others lead to much more broad-brush, qualitative assessments. The table below shows those countries whose SEA systems exemplify different approaches.
| Approach to SEA | Country SEA Systems |
|---|---|
| Appraisal of policies
|
Canada, The Netherlands (e-test)
|
| Appraisal of plans and programmes
|
USA, European Commission
|
| Cumulative impact assessment
|
Canada, USA
|
| Public participation in SEA
|
USA, South Africa
|
| Technical "tools" for SEA (models etc.)
|
Germany, France
|
| Integrating SEA in decision-making
|
New Zealand, The Netherlands
|
