LOCAL ENVIRONMENTALLOCAL ENVIRONMENTALACTION PROGRAMMES (LEAPs)ACTION PROGRAMMES (LEAPs)

Succesfull SEA for local planning

Netherlands Commission for Netherlands Commission for Environmental AssessmentEnvironmental Assessment

Presentation prepared by

Arend Kolhoff and Petrie van Gent

www.eia.nl/ncea

IAIA Seoul June 7, 2007

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Contents of the presentation

1. What are LEAPs?

2. LEAP approach

3. Does this process ring a bell?

4. What are the linkages between the two instruments?

5. Lessons learned

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1. What are LEAPs?

Local Environmental Action Plans or

Local Environmental Action Programmes

Proceeded from the Rio-1992: Local Agenda 21;

Sustainable Communities Initiative with funding from the Netherlands government;

REC applies the instrument in Eastern Europe

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What are LEAPs?

• Aims to improve local environmental situation and promote public environmental awareness;

• Participatory process for the local community;

• Provides a forum for bringing together stakeholders;

• Multi-stakeholder group works with local government(12-24 months) to agree on actions for addressing environmental problems;

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LEAP experiences

Start of LEAP in Bulgaria in 1993;

Succesfully applied in about 20 countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia;

Few examples other regions: Latin America, Asia;

Legal basis in at least one country: Macedonia

(Moldova?)

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2. LEAP approach – five phases

Phase 1: Start define project goals identify stakeholders initiate preliminary public awarenss activties conduct kick-off city conference form multi-stakeholder group and working committee

Phase 2: Scoping assess environmental baseline situation select & prioritise environmental issues

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LEAP approach – five phases

Phase 3: Develop environmental action plan

create commun(ity) vision set environmental goals, targets and select indicators identify potential actions / alternatives identify evaluation criteria analyse, compare and select actions / alternatives prepare draft plan for public comments adopt and institutionalise plan

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LEAP approach – five phases

Phase 4: Implementation of action plan

identify potential implementing institutions assess opportunities to work with private sector assess opportunities to work with NGOs prepare budget and secure funding ensure integration of plan into statutory planning

processes

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LEAP approach – five phases

Phase 5: Monitoring and evalaution

review environmental targets and indicators establish reporting system evaluate and communicate findings to public, report

response towards implementing agencies.

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3. Does this process ring a bell?

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Does this process ring a bell?

LEAP has all characteristics of an integrated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

LEAP for Kutaisi, Georgia was evaluated: to what extent have the good practice principles of SEA been applied?

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SEA principles applied?

1. Commitment on the need of an SEA

2. Participation of all stakeholders

3. Transparency of the decision making process

LEAP for Kutaisi in practice

1. Yes - Strong and wide commitment for LEAP. SEA was not yet applied in Georgia and could therefore not be applied.

2. Yes - All stakeholders were involved in the establishment of a stakeholders committee

3. Yes - The decision making process was completely transparent because the stakeholders committee was responsible for the decisions.

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SEA principles applied?

4. Common vision developed on environmental problems, objectives and alternatives by all stakeholders

5. Consistency of new objectives are checked with existing policies and objectives, whether they are conflicting or in line with

6. Assessment of the environmental impacts of the alternatives

LEAP for Kutaisi in practice

4. Yes - Stakeholders committee has developed a common vision on environmental problems, objectives and measures. Alternative measures have been considered.

5. Partly - An open consistency check was not made. Implicitly, consistency was secured by membership of representa-tives of different government departments in the stakeholders committee

6. Yes - Alternative measures have been assessed and compared for the following criteria: costs, time required, number of people benefiting, decrease of pollution and effects on health

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SEA principles applied?

7. Environmental assessment findings are discussed with stakeholders and what it means for decision making

8. Quality assurance of assessment product and process

9. The political decision made is justified

10.Monitoring of the adopted plan

LEAP for Kutaisi in practice

7. Yes - EA findings are discussed in the stakeholders committee. The findings were not discussed with the civil society or groups of stakeholders

8. Yes - Quality of the process was secured by involvement of stakeholder committee and prescribed procedure. Quality of the two LEAP-reports was secured by invol-vement of a team of local experts. An external (independent) quality check / review of the reports was not executed

9. Yes - The local authority approved the LEAP and made a public statement about the importance for the future

10. Yes - Monitoring has been planned but did not start yet

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Succes factors

• Supportive political leader;

• All stakeholders are represented in decision making group;

• Community agrees to tackle environmental problems.

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Link between PP and SEA?

parallel approach PP=SEA integrated approach PP SEA PP SEA

SEA

report

final plan final plan final plan

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Lessons learned 1: for future LEAPs 1. Developing alternative measures more explicit in order to solve the

identified problems. Allowing an open discussion and selection of the most desirable and cost effective measures;

2. Private sector should be represented in the stakeholder committee;

3. The results of the LEAP-process should be discussed with the civil society or groups of stakeholders before the plan will be finalised;

4. External quality check of the LEAP-report might be considered;

5. A few enthusiastic and supportive politicians can start a process resulting in plan, supported by the citizens;

6. Environmental awareness of all stakeholders resulting in commitment for environment inclusive planning is a condition for successful implementation of SEA.

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Lessons learned 2: for local planning

Widening the scope of LEAP to local / development planning 1. Horizontally

- environmental, social and economic aspects- sustainable development planning

2. Vertically

- local authorities to district / provincial authorities

SEA can support this development!

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Widening horizontally and vertically

XXXlater

XXXelsewhere

XXXhere and now

economic aspects

social aspectsenvironmental aspects

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Lessons learned 3:

LEAP is “good practice“ example of SEA inclusive planning.

SEA works !

it is NOT an obstacle to development

helps making plans that contribute towards sustainable development

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Some literature NCEA keysheet: Local planning and SEA REC SEA newsletter #2, 2005 REC LEAP newsletter #1, 2006 on LEAP conference in

Tblisi, Georgia IAIA Prague 2005: SEA movement in Japan; local

governments lead it (Harashina and Mochiki) IIED Environment for MDGs briefing 2007: Biodiversity

for MDGs: what local organisations can do? REC LEAP manual: case studies of Bulgaria, Czech

Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic