Strategic environmental assessment monitoring: the enduring forgotten sibling

Figures & data

Figure 1. Monitoring as a cornerstone in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and SEA follow-up.

Figure 2. Year of publication of the SEA monitoring and follow-up publications identified in a targeted Scopus search.

Table 1. Case studies reviewed in the second review of SEA effectiveness in Ireland (EPA 2018)

Name of Plan/Programme	Sector	Hierarchy
Clare County Development Plan 2017–2023	Land-use	County
Dublin City Development Plan 2011–2017	Land-use	County
EirGrid Grid25 Implementation Programme 2011–2016	Energy, onshore	National
Fingal County Development Plan 2011–2017	Land-use	County
FoodWise 2025	Agriculture	National
Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2011–2030	Transport	Regional
National Forestry Programme 2014–2020	Forestry	National
National Planning Framework 2040	Land-use	National
National River Basin Management Plan 2018–2021	Water management	National
Nitrates Action Programme 2017–2021	Agriculture, water	National
Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan 2014	Energy, offshore	National
Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Plan 2015–2021	Water management	Regional
Southern Regional Waste Management Plan	Waste Management	Regional
Strategic Integrated Framework Plan for the Shannon Estuary 2013–2020	Water management, industry	Regional
Wild Atlantic Way Operational Programme 2015–2019	Tourism	Regional

Table 2. Case studies reviewed in the tiering in environmental assessment research project (EPA 2021)

SEA/EIAa	Sector	Hierarchy
SEA – Clare Wind Energy Strategy 2017–2023	Energy	County
EIA – Knocknalough Wind Farm 2012	Wind
EIA – Cahermurphy-Kilmihil Wind Farm 2014	Wind
EIA – Glenmore Wind Farm 2014	Wind
SEA – Cherrywood SDZ Masterplan 2010–2016	Land-use	Local
EIA – Mixed-use Town Centre Development 2017	Mixed-use
SEA – Eastern and Midlands Region Waste Management Plan 2015–2021	Waste	Regional
EIA – KMK Metal Recycling Ltd. in Kilbeggan 2017	WEEE, metal recovery
SEA – Waterford City Development Plan 2013–2019	Land-use	City
SEA – Kerry County Development Plan 2015–2021	Land-use	County
EIA – N69 Listowel Bypass Proposed Road Development 2017	Transport
EIA – N70 Sneem to Blackwater Bridge Road Project 2019	Transport
SEA – North Quays Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) 2018	Land-use
EIA – Knockboy Residential Strategic Housing Development 2019	Housing
EIA – Kilbarry Residential Scheme 2018	Housing
EIA – North Quays Development 2019	Housing
SEA – Shannon Strategic Integrated Framework Plan 2013–2020	Land- and marine-use	Regional
SEA – Shannon-Foynes Port Development Masterplan 2013–2020	Port
EIA – Shannon-Foynes Port Development Expansion – Strategic Infrastructure Development 2018	Port
SEA – Ulster Canal Restoration Plan 2016–2022	Recreation	Regional
EIA – Ulster Canal Restoration Upper Lough Erne to Clones 2011	Recreation

aShaded SEAs refer to the higher-tier plan. No shading refers to the lower-tier SEAs and EIAs under the higher-tier plan.

Table 3. Recommendations to improve SEA (and EIA) monitoring practice

For SEA practitioners – responsible for developing the monitoring measures
1. Definition of Monitoring Indicators	a. Identify a suitably small set of highly relevant indicators to meaningfully monitor the environmental effects of plan/programme implementation.
	b. The monitoring indicators should measure: Identified/likely environmental impacts of the plan; Unforeseen adverse impacts of the plan, notably assumptions underlying the SEA impact predictions that may not happen in practice (e.g. changes in travel behaviour in response to a new bus service); and The implementation of mitigation measures, including their effectiveness – to allow this, mitigation measures should be clearly described and measurable; and Data gaps that need to be filled before the next iteration of the plan (where the plan is cyclical) or the next phase of plan implementation.
	c. Align indicators with the scope and nature of the plan (e.g. several water quality indicators may be needed for a water resources management plan but only one of such indicators, if any, may be relevant to a transport plan).
	d. Use existing monitoring programmes and initiatives appropriate to the issues and scale of the plan (e.g. water quality and biodiversity reporting datasets for populating indicators relevant to the regional and local levels; Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators for national assessment monitoring). However, depending on the level of detail required, more local-level and/or bespoke monitoring may be needed. Larger-scale datasets may help identify whether more local-level monitoring is needed (e.g. if there is a particular problem at the local level) or not.
	e. Link the monitoring indicators to measurable international and national thresholds/standards (e.g. achievement of World Health Organisation air quality standards, or the SDGs). This allows the normative effectiveness of SEA to be tested.
2. Definition of Monitoring Arrangements	a. Identify the data sources that will be used for monitoring each indicator.
	b. Identify the organisations with relevant monitoring responsibilities. While the plan-maker is, in all cases, responsible for plan-implementation monitoring, different third-party organisations may be responsible for monitoring specific indicators (e.g. water or air quality).
	c. Define the level of detail of monitoring required – see 1d. above.
	d. Define the monitoring frequency and reporting requirements (e.g. who should be notified). This facilitates communication between agencies and resource allocation in case of environmental problems.
	e. Define remedial actions if the monitoring data identifies significant adverse unforeseen impacts, and the level of impact at which the remedial actions would be implemented. This could include the application of additional technologies (e.g. to reduce point source pollutants or improve energy efficiency if stated air quality or energy targets are not met), additional management measures (e.g. closure of certain areas to recreational activities if recreational activities are increasing traffic congestion or affecting the populations of certain species), and not permitting a subsequent planned phase of development (e.g. phase 2 of a wind farm if phase 1 leads to an x% reduction in bird or bat populations).
	f. Define the responsibility for remedial actions. A clear definition of responsibilities would provide accountability for remedial action where environmental targets are not achieved.
3. Monitoring in the SEA ER	a. Include a specific recommendation in the SEA ER for the monitoring programme to be incorporated into the plan/programme or added as a chapter so that this aspect is not ‘lost’ as part of plan/programme implementation reviews.
	b. Refer to previous plans/programmes’ monitoring frameworks and data in the next round of plan SEA. In particular, the next SEA should identify from the monitoring data any unforeseen adverse impacts of the previous plan, and attempt to explain why these occurred. Monitoring can provide a robust and up to date baseline for future SEAs and, more importantly, a better understanding of the implications of certain plans/programmes – which can, ultimately, contribute to better planning and more informed decisions.
For plan-makers – responsible for interrogating data and reporting on monitoring
4. Implementing Monitoring	a. Include a specific commitment in the plan/programme for environmental monitoring and reporting, as identified in the SEA.
	b. Earmark resources, including a defined budget, within the plan-making organisation to collate and report on the relevant monitoring information.
	c. Devise a monitoring approach within the organisation that feeds into plan/programme implementation review and related reporting. This allows uncertainties and data gaps to be addressed, provides a more robust baseline and better informs future planning. Moreover, plans at different levels could use the same methodological framework with regards to core indicators, monitoring frequency, etc. to help align internally all monitoring efforts in plan-making.
	d. Consider the issue of monitoring as part of scoping or alternatives workshops during the preparation of a plan/programme. This is particularly useful for cyclical plans, since it would ensure that previous monitoring data inform the new SEA, and that monitoring of the new plan learns from any issues arising from monitoring of the old plan.
	e. Make monitoring data and reports available online and, where suitable, link monitoring data to existing GIS databases. This can enhance understanding and knowledge across planning hierarchies and sectors, and avoid institutional memory loss.
	f. Where monitoring of individual areas or projects is required, include these requirements in a GIS, so that planners can interactively click on a site to find out required measures and refer to them at the project level (this is currently done, for example, in Clare County Council’s land-use planning system, and in the preparation of Irish River Basin Management Plans).
5. Populating and Evaluating Indicators	a. Document the monitoring data on a regular (e.g. annual) basis, and make the monitoring results public.
	b. Test the plan/programme impacts in relation to established targets and thresholds.
	c. Use spatial/GIS data for spatial plans to ‘zoom in’ on areas to undertake more detailed appraisal of changes in environmental indicators, and identify where remedial actions may be required.
For EIA consultants – responsible for filling data gaps and undertaking detailed assessments
6. Carrying out SEA Monitoring	a. Check the relevant SEA/plan/GIS system, and carry out project-specific monitoring requirements resulting from SEA. This will allow the EIA to effectively address data gaps and strategic issues and uncertainties (e.g. cumulative impacts, carbon emissions, habitat fragmentation) for a robust assessment.
	b. Publish the monitoring data from a. so the information can accumulate back up, to work with and inform the strategic level indicator and future SEAs.
Strategic recommendations for policy-makers
7. Monitoring Requirements	Amend guidance and, where appropriate, legislation/regulations to require monitoring findings to be made publicly available on the plan-makers’ website alongside the plan/programme and SEA related documentation.
8. Monitoring Guidance and Training	Develop guidance and training, including good practice examples, to foster good monitoring practice, taking the points above into account. In particular, showcase approaches that help to address the complexity of interactions, which makes it difficult to identify the environmental changes that result from a given plan/programme. For example, showcase approaches that distinguish between the environmental actions of an individual plan (e.g. energy efficient housing) and the actual aims (e.g. zero carbon by 2040).
9. Dedicated Resources	Create a dedicated team (probably at the national level, possibly comprising representatives from the statutory environmental bodies) to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements for SEA monitoring, follow up on environmental trends and engage with planners during plan-making. This advisory role would also enhance environmental integration in plan-making and develop more sustainable plans/programmes.
10. Monitoring Data Gathering and Centralisation	Coordinate the gathering and provision of centralised access to relevant environmental monitoring (including spatial) data across planning hierarchies and sectors. This would present a rapid and systematic way of addressing ongoing monitoring limitations and reduce the costs of evidence gathering for next round of SEAs.
11. Technology Support	Use technology and innovation to encourage monitoring implementation and to tap into currently available but under-used sources of data gathering and sharing (web-based services, citizen science, remote sensing, etc.). Support citizen science initiatives and empower the public by giving them a voice, and allow plan-making authorities to tap into local knowledge and data sources and volunteered reporting of environmental changes.

EPA (2018). Second Review of Strategic Environmental Assessment Effectiveness in Ireland. Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency. [accessed 2022 Jan 24]. https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/assessment/second-review-of-sea-effectiveness-in-ireland.php.

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EPA (2021). Tiering of Environmental Assessment – the Influence of SEA on Project Level EIA. Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency. [accessed 2022 Jan 24]. https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/epa-research-2030-reports/Research_Report_391.pdf.

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