Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Coastal Zone, China

The mistakes made in the decisionmaking process would result in more serious e nvironmental problems than in the project process. How to reduce or avoid the ne gative environmental impacts that may be created in the decisionmaking process , and push the decisionmaking towards sustainability, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was considered one of the most effective approaches and tools. Although SEA has been in existence for over ten years, it should be noted that t here are still some shortcomings involving the framework, methodology, procedure and review methods. Based upon three SEA case studies in the coastal zone of Xi amen, China, this paper systematically compares and analyzes targets, contents, methodologies, and effects of SEA. The results showed that the higher the level of the target, the larger the effect of SEA; and the earlier SEA is involved in the decisionmaking process, the more effective SEA is in influencing decision making. The conceptual framework for environmental protection principles propo sed at the beginning of the decisionmaking process was developed. It was prove n a very efficacious methodology for SEA.

Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Coastal Zone, China

The mistakes made in the decision-making pro- cess would result in more serious environmental problems than in the project process. How to re- duce or avoid the negative environmental impacts that may be created in the decision-making process, and push the decision-making towards sustainabili- ty, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was considered one of the most effective approaches and tools. Although SEA has been in existence for over ten years, it should be noted that there are still some shortcomings involving the framework, methodology, procedure and review methods. Based upon three SEA case studies in the coastal zone of Xiamen, China, this paper systematically compares and analyzes targets, contents, method- ologies, and effects of SEA. The results showed that the higher the level of the target, the larger the effect of SEA ; and the earlier SEA is involved in the decision-making process, the more effective SEA is in influencing decision-making. The conceptual framework for environmental protection principles proposed at the beginning of the decision-making process was developed. It was proven a very effi- cacious methodology for SEA.