Integrating Cumulative Effects in Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment Frameworks: Lessons From Practice

The need to advance the assessment of cumulative environmental effects beyond the individual project, to the broader regional scale and strategic tier, is well argued. However, regional strategic environmental assessment (SEA) frameworks that facilitate cumulative effects assessment (CEA) at this scale and tier have been slow to evolve. The need for such frameworks is now at the forefront of Canadian environmental assessment. This paper examines current and recent attempts at regional, and strategic-type assessment frameworks to integrate and assess cumulative environmental effects. Based on lessons from practice and interviews with practitioners and administrators, we observe that assessing cumulative effects in a regional SEA context is most effective when there is a shared regional vision about the future state of environment and development; the development of regional environmental targets, thresholds and indicators takes precedent over cumulative impact prediction; strategies can be translated into operational terms and mandates; the assessment is sensitive to key decision windows; and CEA is recognised to be more than simply the "adding up" of environmental effects. Regional SEA is the most appropriate framework within which to address cumulative effects, if the primary goal is to influence the nature and pace of conservation and development in support of regional sustainability.