The Theory and Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment

Towards a More Systematic Approach

�Anyone serious about integrating environmental factors into planning and policy making will gain new insights and ideas from Fischer�s book on SEA; and students, teachers and practitioners of the subject will find the book essential.� Leonard Ortolano, Professor at Stanford University, USA �Fischer�s book demystifies the process and substantive analytical dimensions of SEA. Offering solidly documented empirical evidence of the value of SEA to development, the knowledge captured in this book is a great contribution to the practice.� Linda Ghanime, Environmental Operations and Policy Adviser, United Nations Development Program �This book is an invaluable reference text for SEA practitioners. I recommend it to everyone!� Xu He, Professor and Director of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Center at Nankai University, China �Fischer gives a concise and wellstructured account of SEA as it is used today. Readers thus will gain important insights into SEA: why it is important, how it works, and what it can and should achieve.� Professor Thomas Bunge, Federal Environment Agency, Germany Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a fast-growing and rapidly evolving professional field driven by both advances in theory and practice and by regulatory requirements in Europe, North America, Australasia, South Africa and increasingly across Asia. However, to date, analysis of existing practice and associated reporting has remained far from systematic and there has been a clear need for a comprehensive textbook to facilitate teaching, learning and practice in this burgeoning field. This textbook, the first of its kind, provides for a state-ofthe-art review of SEA theory and practice and promotes a more systematic approach to SEA. It is written for a wide student, professional and academic audience and aims particularly at supporting the development of SEA modules in undergraduate and postgraduate planning, environmental assessment, engineering and law courses. It provides an overview of the fundamental principles and rules of SEA, reports systematically on international SEA practice and theory and pushes the envelope by developing the theory. Supporting material includes boxed examples and case studies from around the world, extra reading suggestions and a glossary of terms. This is the essential book for all students, professionals and academics in SEA and EIA and follow-up worldwide.