SEA Towards SD:
Putting ENR into the Planner’s and
Decisionmaker’s Agenda
Dr. Mario R. Delos Reyes
UP-SURP
OUTLINE
• Legal instrument
• Background and rationale
• Evolution of EA to BDSEA
• BDSEA process
• BDSEA objectives
• Institutionalizing BDSEA
• Phil BDSEA potentials
• Sample BDSEA as planning tool
• Lessons-learnt
• The way forward
Evolution of EA to BDSEA
•EA
•EIA
•SEA
•BDSEA
Ranking of SEA & EIA
What is Philippines’ Biodiversity-focused
Strategic Environmental Assessment
(BDSEA)
• A tool/procedure to evaluate the effects
of PPaP to the environment especially
biodiversity, socio-economic welfare and
human wellbeing
Why give special attention to biodiversity in
SEA & planning/decision-making?
• Legal obligations
• Facilitation of stakeholder identification
• Safeguarding livelihoods
• Sound economic decision-making
• Cumulative effects on biodiversity
• Maintaining the genetic base of evolution for
future opportunities
• By promoting/facilitating sustainable solutions
to development needs SEA is benefiting society
as a whole
Basic Policy
• State to maintain a rational and orderly balance
between socio-economic growth and environmental
protection; and
• Shall include assessing the impact of policies, plans and
programs (PPaPs) to the country's biodiversity.
• To this end, the Biodiversity-focused Strategic
Environmental Assessment (BDSEA) is hereby prescribed
as a tool for assessing the effects of PPaPs.
General Provisions
To provide for a high level of protection of the
environment and to contribute to the integration of
environmental considerations into the preparation and
adoption of PPaPs with a view to promoting sustainable
development, by ensuring that, in accordance with this,
an environmental assessment is carried out of certain
PPaPs, which are likely to have significant effects on the
environment –
EC Directive No. 42, 2001.
BDSEA Objectives
• Ensure that the environment esp. biodiversity (BD),
including human wellbeing and socio-economic welfare
considerations are taken into account in the
preparation and dev’t of PPaPs;
• Conserve BD and the sustainable use of its components
in all phases of dev’t, in the context of CC&DR;
• Provide clear, transparent, participatory and effective
procedures for assessing the effects of PPaPs on BD;
• Strengthen environmental M&E mechanisms;
• Complement the current EIA initiatives; and
• Strengthen SD policies, laws and decrees.
Guiding Principles
• No net loss;
• Precautionary principle;
• Public participation; and
• Recognition of local, traditional and
indigenous knowledge.
Scope and Coverage
• This tool applies to the implementation of BDSEA for
any PPoP of DENR, other NGAs, and LGUs that has
the potential for significant adverse effect on the
environment especially biodiversity, human health
and socio-economic welfare.
General Phases of BDSEA Process
General Phases in the BDSEA Process
Undertaking the BSEA Process
1. Create a team of experts for undertaking the BDSEA
2. Evaluate whether the PPaP needs BDSEA thru
screening
3. Describe the PPaP’s objectives and other objectives
a. Describe the PPaP
b. Review the PPaP and analyze the situation
c. Identify alternatives for the PPaP
4. Identify key impacts and their boundaries
a. Establish indicators and targets
b. Describe current and likely future envt’l baseline
c. Identify problem areas in consultation with public
Undertaking the BSEA Process
5. Predict impacts, cope with uncertainty
a. Evaluate impacts
b. Compare alternatives
6. Propose mitigation measures (including incentives)
a. Propose monitoring and assessment
7. Create BdSEA committee to review and evaluate
BdSEA report, make formal PPaP decision
8. Implement, monitor PPaP’s impacts and
achievement of its objectives
Stakeholder Participation
• The proponent shall ensure early, timely and effective
opportunities for PPaP, when all options are still open;
• Using electronic media or other appropriate means, ensure the
timely public availability of the draft PPaP and the BDSEA report;
• Ensure that the public concerned, including relevant NGOs, is
identified;
• Shall ensure that the public has the opportunity to express its
opinion on the draft PPoP and the BDSEA report within a
reasonable time frame;
• Shall ensure that detailed arrangements for informing the public
and consulting the public concerned are determined and made
publicly available; and
• Shall consult with environmental and health authorities and the
opportunity to express their opinion in the draft PPaP and the
environmental report.
Monitoring and Evaluation
• Checking of assumptions;
• Monitoring the progress of measures recommended in BdSEA
ensuring their implementation;
• Defining additional measures if necessary based on updated
information;
• Allowing provisions of feedback to higher levels of review;
• Ensuring reviews or further assessments be triggered if real
situations significantly different from previous assumptions
adopted.
• The document should also have the key indicators for M&E,
scoping checklist should dictate what to monitor
• Check the process if applicable for the BDSEA
BDSEA Report
• List the objectives of the proposal – What does it aim to achieve?
• Describe the alternatives – What are the options to achieve the
objectives?
• Identify environmental impacts, issues and implications – What
are the effects, how can they be mitigated and/or enhanced?
• Assess their significance – How important are they?
• Quantify costs and benefits – How can this be done?
• Value costs and benefits – Which method(s) can be used?
• State the preferred option – What are the reasons?
BDSEA OBJECTIVES
Institutionalization of BDSEA
BDSEA IDSCB Functions
• Ensure the mainstreaming of BDSEA into the PPaPs;
• Formulate IRR on BDSEA pursuant to RA/DAO, including the provisions
for the progressive implementation in accordance to its application;
• Exercise policy coordination to ensure the attainment of the goals and
objectives set;
• Recommend legislation, policies, plans, strategies and programs on and
appropriations for BDSEA and other related activities;
• Create an enabling environment that shall promote broader multi-
stakeholder participation;
• Formulate and update guidelines for determining and facilitating the
provision of technical assistance for their implementation and
monitoring;
• Facilitate capacity building for BDSEA preparation, implementation and
monitoring; and
• Oversee the dissemination of information on BDSEA
Capacity Building
• For this purpose of implementation and
institutionalization, BDSEA in DENR, other NGAs and
LGUs shall be established and strengthened;
• DENR, shall in consultation and coordination with the
DILG, lead the development and implementation of a
national capacity building program on BDSEA;
• This is to ensure the rational devolution of functions;
and
• The program shall be operational within two (2) years
from the effectivity of this RA/DAO.
Database Management System
• DENR through the BMB as the lead department, shall
establish a DBMS for the purposes of gathering,
keeping, disseminating and updating information
relative to the implementation of the BDSEA
Funding
• DENR through BMB shall allocate funds for the
conduct of every BDSEA of PPaPs and its
corresponding activities
Phil BDSEA Potentials
Dimensions/topics Current Remarks
status
Political will ✓ There is some pilot program and the
government is considering stipulating BDSEA
in the new EIA Act
Legal mandate X Not available for BDSEA, only for EIA
Administrative framework X DENR and EMB are responsible for overall
coordination of EIA nationwide, lack of
qualified staff
BDSEA procedure/ - Proposed by academics, not established
methodology/guidelines legally
Technical know-how - Expertise existing in administration and in
academia
Experience in BDSEA - Limited to several initiatives for BDSEA
implementation
Public involvement N Stipulated in legal documentation of EIA but
weak in implementation
Source: Modified from WB (2006)
Legend: ✓Positive; X: Negative; N: Neutral
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SEA &toLocal
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Master title style
Planning Process
Obstacles to implementing SEA
(Gachechiladze-Bozhesku and Fischer, 2012)
• Lack of resources
• Lack of legal requirements and formal
provisions
• Lack of institutional commitment
• Lack of clear guidelines and methods
Conclusions &
Recommendations
of Pilot-testing BDSEA to
NTDP
C1: Seeking growth in tourism dev’t is likely to cause
problems for a number of sustainability objectives, suggests
a different direction for tourism
R1: Set growth objectives and targets for tourism in terms of
benefits to the country rather than gross volume of traded
activity
R2: Concentrate support for those kinds of tourism that put more
into local economies with less damaging concentrations of
envt’l pressure
R3: Establish effective ‘bottom up’ planning of tourism at the local
level
R4: Design and successfully implement programs to substantially
reduce economic leakage from resort based tourism
C2: Full implementation of inst’l & regulatory frameworks for
envt’l assessment and mgt, including capb and enforcement,
is a prerequisite for tourism expansion to be sustainable
R1: Phil gov’t to implement & enforce the existing envt’l policy,
assessment & mgt frameworks
R2: Specifically, full implementation of RA9395 in line with Pres
16pt agenda and goals & targets of PDP2011-16
R3: Many of detailed policies & proposals in the NTDP should be
fully implemented
R4: All tourism dev’ts should be required to meet minimum
impact standards
R5: Gov’t & stakeholders should support partnerships between
tourism developers and local communities
R6: An Envt’l Fund should be established from user fees
Lessons-Learnt
Usefulness of BDSEA as a tool
• SEA process provided a helpful structure and road map
for assessing the environmental impacts of the PPaPs
• It justified in spending time on several steps, which were
essential to achieve the objectives of the work
• SEA is a generic tool; it is hoped and expected that it
would prove applicable and useful in very different
circumstances
Adaptation of BDSEA to the Phil context
• Pilot-testing will raise important points about
emphasis and application, which should be reflected
in future use of BDSEA
• Phil should consider commissioning guidance on
applying BDSEA in specific circumstances of the
country
• Any guidance on BDSEA should include firm
recommendations about provisions of follow-thru
• Finally, Phil should promote BDSEA as valuable tool
for sustainable envt’l policy dev’t in the country
The Way Forward
• Approval of the RA/EO/DAO/MC on BDSEA
• Prepare for institutionalization of the BDSEA in
NGAs and LGUs
• Refinements of the BDSEA Guidelines/MoPs and
Implementation Plan based on experiences;
• Pilot-test the BDSEA Guidelines/Tool to Policies,
Plans and Programs at sectoral level (NGAs) to
gain experiences;
• Pilot-test the BDSEA Guidelines/MoPs to LGUs
CLUP and CDP to gain experiences at local level;
• Finally, CapB program & establish DBMS on
BDSEA.
THANK YOU
E-mail: mrdelosreyes@up.edu.ph
Website: surp.upd.edu.ph
Facebook: UP School of Urban and
Regional Planning
