Strategic Environmental Assessment and Its Application to Marine Areas beyond National Jurisdiction

Environmental assessment1 of human activities with the potential for significant impacts on the marine species, habitats and ecosystems is an essential component of any ocean governance regime. The process of prior environmental impact assessment (eia) with its recognized stages of screening, scoping and public consultation is critical to minimizing adverse human impacts on these areas and developing suitable mitigation measures for the life of such activities and beyond. It can alert States to the potential for transboundary harm from certain activities in marine areas and in many cases requires States to notify and consult other States where risks to marine areas under their jurisdiction emerge.2 eia is an integral component of a precautionary approach to human activities with the potential for adverse effects on the marine environment. Undertaking prior eia and ongoing monitoring of activities with the potential for adverse effects on the marine environment is also vital in incorporating environmental concerns into the development process and facilitating sustainable development.3 The related but more recently developed process of an overarching strategic environmental assessment (sea) can be even more beneficial in mitigating the adverse impact of plans, policies and programmes for the development of broader scale marine areas where a range of human activities occur over longer time frames.4