Strengthening strategic environmental assessment through ecosystem service valuation and public preferences: evidence from Ireland

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a key instrument for integrating environmental considerations into plans and programmes at an early stage of decision-making. However, effectiveness reviews highlight a significant gap in the systematic quantification of SEA benefits, particularly regarding non-market values and ecosystem services (ES). To address this deficiency, this study, conducted in the Republic of Ireland, adopts a sequential research design in which expert workshops and focus groups were used to develop a nationally representative discrete choice survey ( n = 970) to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental improvements and to enhance the effectiveness, legitimacy, and practical uptake of SEA. Our findings reveal strong public support for planning scenarios that include greater public participation, substantial increases in local green space (10–30%), and acceptance of short procedural delays (1–2 years) in SEA processes to ensure comprehensive environmental assessment. Model estimates indicate that respondents expressed a WTP of approximately €48–€63 per year for a 30% increase in green space, with the lower estimate derived from the multinomial logit (MNL) model and the higher estimate from the random parameters logit (RPL) model. Results also indicate limited public familiarity with SEA instruments and relatively low trust in governmental environmental decision-making. The study presents a methodological framework for integrating ecosystem service valuation and measurable forms of public participation into SEA processes to support more effective and legitimate environmental decision-making.