Strategic Environment Assessment - Report Example

Name: Institution: Tutor: Course: Date: Strategic Environment Assessment in South Australia Introduction A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) refers to the process by which an organization applies the environmental assessment plans, policies, and programs in seeking to address, as early as possible, any environmental impacts that may result from its operations. The application of such an assessment has often been made with critical thoughts laid on whether the socio-economic impacts are at par with the organization’s objectives. In this line, the main objective for firms is to contribute to sustainable development ecologically. In South Australia, SEA’s application and adoption have been on a slow trend considering that no clear provisions have ever been provided for under the Australian laws. Furthermore, SEA has often been perceived poorly relative to the environmental impact assessments that have been conducted in relation to projects. As a result, the projects carried out in the region have often taken place in vacuums of cumulative and strategic environmental assessments. Ideally, there is a large need for SEA among Australian firms given that it can hugely influence the decision-making processes of such firms. Largely, an understanding of the concept of strategic environmental management requires that there be national, regional, and international procedural requirements to be attained in the adopted of the SEA. The discussions that shall be fronted in this study shall be geared towards an understanding of the concept of strategic environmental assessment in South Australia, especially in relation to the potential benefits and problems that might be associated with the concept. Subsequently, the study will concentrate on the analysis of the methodological and procedural approaches that firms in the region can employ in the attainment of the useful outcomes. Ultimately, this study shall wind up with a recommendation and adoption of a stand based on the introduction of SEA in South Australia. Therefore, this study recognizes that SEA as a process is not a product of decision-aiding functions. Application of SEA in South Australia Currently, there is minimal or no activity at all that is taking place in South Australia in relation to the adoption and implementation of SEA. This limited application of SEA in the region sharply contrasts to the high uptake and use of the environmental assessment in larger parts of North Australia. It is essential that firms in the southern region realize that the application of the assessment will not only enhance their formulation of public sector policies, but also extend all their programs to the realization of the likely significant effects of the assessment on the environment. There are various ways by which SEA can be differentiated from environmental impact assessments (EIA) that focus on both public and private projects only, while SEA mainly focuses on public projects. Subsequently, EIA focuses on the mitigation of the negative impacts, while SEA focuses on the prevention of the negative impacts and the enhancement of the environmental conditions. SEA as a program also focuses on the broader sectorial range of defining the better opportunity that can prevent cumulative impacts on the environment (Kørnøv & Wil 191-200). This study seeks to look at the disparate approaches to strategic environmental assessment in South Australia because of the fragmented nature of the assessment in the jurisdiction. An understanding of the concept will involve the following of the contextual evaluation of the purpose of SEA. Therefore, for South Australia states to be able to improve their credentials for environmental assessment and promote more sustainable development outcomes, it would be significant that they consider the application of SEA in their production processes. In South Australia, strategic environmental assessment can be used to improve the decision-making process of the public sector. It is highly recommended that SEA directive, although new in the public sector, should be applied in organizations as a means of setting the framework upon which future projects can be developed. This is a representation of the logical extension on assessments of environmental impacts that can be applied to major development projects in order to obtain sustainability. If this process of SEA is to be effectively implemented in the region, it will be required that the initial planning processes and the subsequent projects that have been performed within the scope of environmental assessment. This is as a form of providing the integration between the macro-planning processes in the economy and the aspects of environmental assessment. If this approach were to be executed in the region, its effect would be the facilitation of effective management of resources and facilitation of the environmental protection, with the aim of enabling the removal of project distortions to new development projects in South Australia. An understanding of the concept of SEA in itself is unambiguous as the available literature into the policy formulation would be to ensure that the formulation of strategic decision-making is comprehensively appraised in order to determine its environmental implications. This description of the nature of SEA is adopted from the scholarly understanding that SEA is a formalized comprehensive and systematic process by which the environmental effects of the plan, policy and program can be evaluated. This application of the assessment program should also include the alternatives to the same, the preparation of the finding reports for the evaluation, and applying the findings to the accountable decision-making of the public sector programs. SEA is quite a significant process in the region considering its positive impacts that describe that the identification and promotion of more sustainable development options would expedite the conformity of the ensuing projects to the environmental strategies. In this case, the successful outcome would be a complete acceptance and application of SEA (Kørnøv & Wil 191-200). The analysis of the logic of this approach cannot be presented through a pro-active form, but instead a re-active form. This approach is imperative and should be adopted in South Australia through the involvement of a technique for assessing the development process parameters before considerations to individual projects. The effective application of the SEA by public sector decision-makers would offer the proponents of future projects to set clear indications for the subsequent subjection of the infrastructural projects in the specific context. The essence for performing this is so that the major projects in the region are shaped and subjected to the SEA and mold sufficiently small proposals capable of producing important cumulative environmental effects. Basically, it can be noted that SEA shall be more appropriate and effective for South Australia as it will address the environmental problems in the region by beginning the planning process at an early stage. Potential benefits and problems associated with SEA Even though there has been other forms of environmental assessment programs and different forms of policies, the promise for the success of SEA in the region is quite apparent. This has been realized by the frequent changes that the planning regime in the region has had to undergo to be able to be perceived as benefit-based. First, the adoption of SEA has the potential to offer a standard degree of provisions of tension between the strict models and the creativity accompanying the project. Therefore, the attainment of higher SEA in the region would be regarded statutorily to the extent of guaranteeing consistency in the process. This is because the analysis of the environmental situation in South Australia currently in relation to the strategic elements of environmental assessments would remain uncertain, fragmented, and volatile without the establishment of the SEA. On the other hand, while the SEA will allow for the consistency in the development process, its application has the capability to leave open economies unnecessarily exposed to the unparalleled demands of the resource bases. As a statutory planning mode, this SEA strategy would allow for the identification of the environmental assessment applications to policy-making. Second, the adoption and application of SEA by the states in South Australia will be beneficial since it would enable the attainment of environmentally sound and sustainable development projects. Furthermore, the management of sustainable projects is essential to the sense that the identification of the environmental assessment gaps will be enhanced through the adoption of SEA. Third, the adoption, and implementation of SEA in South Australia will allow for the strengthening of the plans, policies, and processes for making programs in the country. With such solid and strengthened plans, governments and development partners in the region shall be able to assess the impact that the SEA has on their productivity. Additionally, the realization of the strengthening aspect of the SEA would be significant in conducting a comparative analysis between the North and South Australia with regard to the uptake rate of the SEA projects (Fischer 155-170). Fourth, SEA if applied in South Australia shall have the potential benefit of enabling firms and government agencies in the region to save time and money in the planning process. SEA as a program is not very costly considering that it is easy to implement in various aspects of the economy. As such, it can be set up in the area and combined or largely used in the attainment of a wide range of development projects. This would contribute to the cost and time aspects of having to set a new strategy each time there is a new project. Furthermore, SEA has the potential of being used in multiple projects; thus, ensuring that the organizations cut down on their operational and development costs. This is because, with the successful implementation of SEA in the region, it would be imperative to have additional projects to be implemented in line with the same. Finally, the adoption and implementation of SEA in the region would greatly aid in the improvement of good governance of the divergent projects that an organization chooses to undertake. Particularly, the adoption of SEA would allow for the increased public trust in the projects initiated by the government since, they would develop the perception that the plan or program making process was conducted in an environmentally friendly manner through the incorporation of the aspects of environmental assessments. SEA also helps in the addition of value to an organization’s project through the incorporation of the principles of sustainability to the process of making decisions. It also allows for the anticipation of the impacts that may occur to the project; thus, improving and strengthening the environmental impact assessment of the project. Methodological and procedural approaches SEA is not only a solution to the existent empty space left by the inadequacy of a project conceptualization, but also as a means to understanding the difficulties facing the implementation of the project. As such, it requires that a specific methodology be adopted in the formulation of the measures for mitigation. The key methodological and procedural approach that can be applied to the SEA is the establishment of environmental policy and operational plans that would act as evaluation tools for the policy planners. The methodological and procedural approach for this environmental assessment would take on the procedural steps highlighted herein. First, is the initiation step that seeks to identify the type of SEA that can be applied in the region, as well as the need for the environmental assessment. Second, is scope/scoping in which the available alternatives to the plan and their impact are assessed. Third is the determination of the policy appraisal and conducting of the impacts assessments. Next is the determination of the quality review that shall offer advice and seek input from external sources and experts. Fifth is public participation in the review process for the SEA and then documentation of the plan. Finally, the procedure would entail the decision-making process in which the conclusions to the SEA will be taken into account. Conclusion In the light of the above structural points, it can be contended that the embracing of SEA requires a legislative basis which may present itself as a hurdle to most organizations; hence, a negative impact. This is because the realization of such a legislative basis may be costly in terms of development and implementation (Kørnøv & Wil 191-200). However, should effective channels be availed, this would be one of the most strategic points through which the environmental assessment program would be enhanced as this would increase the transparency, certainty and enforceability of the strategic goals of firms. The transparency and enforceability concepts in this context are imperative in that they would allow for the ensured quality assurance and incorporation of the judicial roles in the establishment of the assessment program. However, this may come with negative repercussions such as requiring firms to adhere strictly to the environmental assessment program or risk facing huge amounts of fines imposition. Works Cited Fischer, Thomas B. "Strategic environmental assessment in post-modern times." Environmental impact assessment review 23.2 (2003): 155-170. Kørnøv, Lone, and Wil AH Thissen. "Rationality in decision-and policy-making: implications for strategic environmental assessment." Impact assessment and project appraisal 18.3 (2000): 191-200. Read More