Strategic Environmental Assessment - Essay Example

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT By Location Strategic management Introduction Strategic Environmental assessment is a decision making tool that is applied in the making of needful decision that can include an environmental impact assessment as part of influencing the decision making process. SEA helps in the formulation of policies by public planning institutions that can be applicable in sustainable development (Andre, Delisle & Reveret 2004, p. 389). The process tends to be a rigorous and participative one in which those involved conduct a clear environmental impact assessment through a structured approach so as to foster sustainable development. In the UK, SEA is a complex application because of the differences in practice that exist between Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland meaning that the sets of regulations are different in each of these regions. The strategic environmental assessment is a necessary tool as it has to be applied before sustainability appraisal is conducted during the process of preparing for a local plan (Schmidt, João & Albrecht 2006, p. 85). With this, this essay will delve into what are considered to be the essential analytical frameworks in the external and organizational environments and also discuss why. Focus will also be on the critical discussion of the elements of each framework of strategic environmental analysis that are available. In order for a change to occur based on the attempt to resolve essential environmental issues, it is imperative to make significant changes in the patterns involved in resource exploitation so as to attract a sustainable future. Strategic environmental analysis is a collaborative aspect that requires the involvement of all stakeholders in this process so as to make the process to be more effective and able to provide a greener future for future generations (Ahmend & Sanchez 2008, p. 50). This is to mean that SEA can also be a management process because it requires the managing of the environment through the application of relevant strategies. Over the decades, societies have been divided on how to effectively manage their ecosystems, but procedural avenues of action have been developed so as to influence these societies towards becoming unified managers of these ecosystems. In other words, SEA can be the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment findings through strategic activations that may include policy development, planning and program implementation. Theory systems for SEA The theory of sustainable development Essentially, sustainable development is one of the development frameworks that focuses more on the use of resources in a sustainable manner of the current generation as to help in the improvement of the quality of social life and also the environment. The strategy was adopted by the social development agencies of the UN with the aim of applying development strategies that are able to meet the needs of the current generation without having to compromise on the ways in which future generations will be able to meet their needs then (United Nations 2006, p. 821). Sustainable development as a theory focuses on the achievement of growth through the application of any man made, social or natural resources that can be helpful in this process. This framework requires the interlinkage of the three or two of the three aspects as a way of formulating an adaptive cycle of growth within the ecosystems that tend to be unending. Several researchers have sought to present different alternatives of consumption based on the sustainable development perspective. One of them includes the inter-temporal consumption and utility concepts being introduced as possible measuring points for the implementation of sustainable development (Metz 2007, p. 122). The productive base of a society is a determinant for consumption and utility within the sustainable development framework that includes elements such as capital assets. Capital assets consist of human, natural or manufactured capital and also the knowledge base of institutions or societies. The institutions are tasked with guiding the resource allocation aspect through the frameworks that they develop, that would be able to facilitate the development of sustainable patterns. This suggests that economists and ecologists who are both stakeholders in sustainable development are required to see eye to eye on this issue rather than having divergent views over the same. In order for SEA being functional, it must be integrated, sustainably led, accountable, focused towards the goal, participative and iterative, which were some of the key elements that stood out when the concept was first applied in 2002 (Fischer 2010, p. 20). SEA is a process that is constantly evolving as the approaches towards this concept have changed over time in order for it to be better and further push the need to develop a sustainable future. On the contrary, SEA draws mainly from environment impact assessment, which has three main approaches. For one, EIA based strategic environmental assessment requires the development of a plan or program and secondly, it aims at providing information regarding the environmental effects and the likely consequences that may arise from the implementation of the suggested programmes or policies (Goudie & Cuff 2009, p. 221). Thirdly, the process also requires the systemic approach of screening, mapping, assessment, alleviation, decision making and monitoring or evaluation in order for the it to be relevant. The failure to include these processes does not quantify the process to be a success meaning that stakeholders should be keen on applying all the required processes within this framework. The evolution of the approaches has expanded to include the evaluation of other visions and further intentions for development that should be included within the PPP initiatives. Another approach is that of taking a decision focused approach that is more centred on the institutional factor where the integration of the environmental deliberations within every stage of the decision making process. This may influence the making of strategic decisions with environmental sustainability being at the core of this process (Marsden 2008, p. 7). Researchers have sought to encourage the application of the six components of a functional SEA as mentioned above and also continue to expand their research over the same issue. Reasons why SEA is a matter that is of great significance Strategic environmental assessment is considered important because it helps in influencing an understanding of the challenges that sustainability faces, which in turn becomes helpful through the incorporation of needful perspectives during the process of policy development and planning. Another reason as to why SEA is considered important is because of its ability to provide support to the strategic decision making, which help create conditions that can bring development. SEA also facilitates and provides guidelines towards the development of progress alternatives through the identification of the same (Jones et al. 2013, p. 75). Additionally, SEA acts as a stimulant to change, especially on the mindsets of both policy developers and the society with the aim of influencing a culture that understands the need to apply strategic decision making in their practices. The implication of this is that SEA helps in the making of credible decisions through a democratic and participative process because those tasked with this responsibility are able to do so because of them being more informed (Dijk 2008, p. 239). SEA is the most effective approach to environmental sustainability rather than just implementing the findings of the EIA because it focuses more on the social, physical and economic conditions that are suitable for development for it to go on in a sustainable way. This means that SEA is a more strategic approach because it is a more direct form of assessment that is focused on the effects on the environment and the conditions necessary for development (Abaza, Bisset & Sadler 2004, p. 85). The advantage that this presents is that it helps prevent the making of decisions that are highly likely to affect future generations owing from poor planning in the present. Moreover, the comprehensive framework of SEA requires the application of strategic thinking by addressing the cause of the problems that the environment faces and prioritize them rather than just setting priority as per the challenges that are visible and tangible. Therefore, the cause of the problems from the roots has the ability to influence the decisions that can be applied, which tend to shape the mindsets, views of the society and the sustainability values that should be adopted. The Strategic thinking model of SEA Here, the major requirement is the identification of the problems that face the environment, then addressing the same so as to ascertain options that can be helpful in solving the environmental challenges raised. The solutions also have to be strategic and it also requires the multiplication of knowledge and information among all the stakeholders involved in environmental preservation and degredation (Aschemann et al. 2012, p. 482). In essence, this may also make use of the scientific history of the problem during the process of formulating possible strategic decisions that can be able to address the issues effectively. Merely looking at an environmental issue as per its face value is not enough meaning that the application of scientific principles can be helpful during the PPP development processes. The possible alternatives to solving the environmental challenges is not an assured that can ensure that there is sustainability as it also requires some modifications along the way after implementation in order to make the solutions to be more relevant. Along the way, changes might occur that might make it needful to reconsider the decision made because of its inability to make the correct impact as required. The Occam’s razor is applicable in this framework as it states that only the necessary challenges are dealt with as deemed necessary. This theory suggests that stakeholders involved in SEA select the most relevant issues them, give them priority rather than dealing with many issues at the same with the aim of solving all of them at the same (Vogel 2010, p. 138). Essentially, this is highly likely to influence the making of decisions that might not be strategic, which may in turn fail to address the challenges effectively and fail to uphold sustainable practices. Drawing from this, this SEA framework dwells more on the policy formulation within the planning process and not merely on the results that they do seek to achieve in the end making it to be the ideal approach. Conclusion In order for this framework to be the most ideal, the involvement of experts that have technical knowledge on the subjects and challenges being addressed is essential as they are likely to provide insights that can be helpful in the decision making process. Effective communication among the stakeholders involved in SEA is also key because a breakdown of this critical element would result to a failure in the end (Mazzei, Haas & O’ Leary 2011, n.p). The networking between the stakeholders and also public participation in the process of seeking sustainable solutions is key because the sharing of perspectives leads to healthy debates that can make the whole process to be impactful. The identification of the stakeholders that can spearhead the sustainability process towards the right direction is very essential because choosing the wrong individuals at the start can influence the collapse of this process (Caratti, Jiliberto & Dalkmann 2004, p. 60). 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