Widening the scope: strategic environmental assessment - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 365

It proposes 15 stages for doing this, as shown in Box 12.1. A unique feature of this
approach is its emphasis on, and explanation of, efficiency, which is a key factor in
deciding on whether a policy/rule/etc. should go ahead or not:
The extent to which the purpose of the Act is achieved is calculated by
subtracting environmental costs from environmental benefits. How much
is foregone is worked out by subtracting social and economic benefits
from social and economic costs. Efficiency is then determined by
comparing the first value with the second. Obviously, if social and
economic benefits outweigh costs then nothing would be foregone as a
result of implementing the policy or method. But if there are net social
and economic costs, efficiency has to be measured by the degree to which
the environmental benefits outweigh these costs. (MftE 2000)
Marsden & Dovers (2002) give more information about SEA in Australasia.
12.3.4 European Union
It was initially intended that one European Directive would cover projects and PPPs, but
by the time that Directive 85/337 was approved in 1985, its application was
Box 12.1 Sequence of steps in a New Zealand Resource Management
Act Section 32 analysis
1. Identify and specify the resource management issues
2. Identify objective(s)
3. Determine whether the objective is necessary
4. If not, review the objective and/or the issue
5. Identify the range of policies that realistically could achieve the objective
6. For each policy, identify the range of methods that could be used to implement it
7. Assess the effectiveness of each method, i.e. how successful it is in achieving the
objective
8. Reject methods that are insufficiently effective
9. Identify and evaluate the benefits and costs of each method not rejected at 8.
10. Assess the relative efficiency of each method
11. Determine whether all methods are very inefficient (i.e. costs are large in relation to
benefits)
12. If so, review the methods, the policy and/or the objective and consider alternatives
13. Decide which of the means are the most appropriate
14. Go back to assess the benefits and costs, effectiveness and efficiency of objectives
and policies
15. Once the plan has been adopted and implemented, assess whether the plan provisions
are achieving the anticipated environmental results and, if not, review the objectives,
policies and methods
( Source: MftE 2000.)