© Strategic Environmental Assessment Can Help Solve Environmental Impact Assessment Failures In Developing Countries Alshuwaikhat, HM ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW; pp: ; Vol: 25 King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Summary The current trend of industrialization and urbanization in developing nations has a huge impact on anthropogenic and natural ecosystems. Pollution sources increase with the expansion of cities and cause contamination of water, air and soil. The absence of urban environmental planning and management strategies has resulted in greater concern for future urban development. This paper advocates the adoption of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) as a means to achieve sustainable development in developing countries. It investigates project-level environmental impact assessment (EIA) and its limitations. The exploration of SEA and its features are addressed. The effective implementation of SEA can create a roadmap for sustainable development. In many developing countries, the lack of transparency and accountability and ineffective public participation in the development of the policy, plan and program (PPP) would be mitigated by the SEA process. Moreover, the proactive and broadly based characteristics of SEA would benefit the institutional development of the PPP process, which is rarely experienced in many developing countries. The paper also explores the prospects for SEA and its guiding principles in developing countries. Finally, the paper calls for a coordinated effort between all government, nongovernment and international organizations involved with PPPs to enable developing countries to pursue a path of sustainable development through the development and application of strategic environmental assessment. (c) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright: King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals;

© References: *ENV CAN, 2003, STRAT ENV ASS INT AP *UN ENV PROGR, 1988, ENV IMP ASS BAS PROC ABAZA H, 2000, ENV ASSESSMENT DEV T ALGILANI A, 1999, J ENV PLAN MANAG, V42, P253 ALSHUWAIKHAT HM, 2004, J ENV PLAN MANAG, V47, P303 ANNANDALE D, 2001, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V21, P407 BRIFFETT C, 2003, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V23, P171 BROWN AL, 1989, WORKSHOP ENV ASSESSM, P3 BROWN AL, 2000, IMPACT ASSESS PROJ A, V18, P187 BUCKINGHAM D, 2000, AGBIOFORUM, V3, P209 CHE X, 2002, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V22, P101 CHERP A, 2001, J ENVIRON MANAGE, V62, P357 CLARK R, 2000, PERSPECTIVES STRATEG DONNELLY A, 1998, DIRECTORY IMPACT ASS GLASSON J, 1994, INTRO ENV IMPACT ASS GOODLAND R, 1999, 67 WORLD BANK LEE N, 1992, PROJECT APPRAISAL, V7, P126 LIOU ML, 2004, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V24, P337, DOI /j.eiar MOMTAZ S, 2002, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V22, P163 NOBLE B, 2002, ENVIRON IMPACT ASSES, V22, P3 NOBLE BF, 2000, J ENV ASSESSMENT POL, V2, P203 NOBLE BF, 2001, J ENV ASSESSMENT POL, V3, P483 OJENDAL J, 2002, ENV GOVERNANCE MEKON, P46 PARTIDARO MR, 2000, PERSPECTIVES STRATEG SADLER B, 1999, HDB ENV IMPACT ASSES, P12 THERIVEL R, 1992, STRATEGIC ENV ASSESS THERIVEL R, 1996, PRACTICE STRATEGIC E THOMPSON S, 1995, J ENVIRON MANAGE, V45, P219 VERHEEM R, 1992, PROJECT APPRAISAL, V7, P150 VERHEEM R, 2000, IMPACT ASSESSMENT PR, V19, P177 For pre-prints please write to: Copyright: King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals;