NCEA newsletter - September / October 2018

Review ESIA gas project, Senegal - Mauritania

The Senegalese environmental agency DEEC is currently reviewing an ESIA for a gas-to-liquids project. This project is planned offshore, near the Mauritanian border. Particular concerns about this project are the potential impacts on fisheries, biodiversity and coastal erosion. DEEC requested the NCEA to carry out an independent review of this ESIA. The NCEA’s advice will inform the upcoming public hearing and a meeting validating the ESIA. 

“EIA is the soul of sustainable tourism”

“EIA is the soul of sustainable tourism”. This was the slogan for a 

seminar organised in Zanzibar in honour of World Tourism Day. This seminar was a collaborative effort by the Zanzibar Environmental Management Agency, Commission for Tourism, and Investment agency. This activity was supported by a cooperation project between Dutch and Zanzibar governments. The NCEA presented an international perspective on how ESIA can contribute to better tourism projects.  

Signing agreement for SEA land use planning Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines

On 20 September 2018, the Dutch Embassy in Manilla hosted the 

ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Agreement to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for comprehensive land use planning. This is an agreement between the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, led by Gov. Roberto Uy, the mayors of the 8 communities of District 1 and the Partnership for Rural and Technical Services (PARTS) to carry out the first ever Philippine led SEA for land use planning. The voluntary SEA takes place within the Shared Resources Joint Solutions programme of IUCN NL and is supported by the NCEA. 

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SEA for offshore oil and gas, Senegal

For the coast of Senegal, significant reserves of oil and gas have been discovered. The government of Senegal would like to adopt a plan for their sustainable development. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is of crucial importance, weighing and comparing alternatives with a strong focus on stakeholder participation. The ministers of energy and environment are in the lead. Trained and coached by the NCEA from 10-13 September, they have developed a process for carrying out this SEA.   

SEA and ESIA in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth Landscapes in Uganda

How does SEA/ESIA contribute to environmental management and their application in the gas and oil sector in Uganda? This was the subject of a recent workshop facilitated by the NCEA, as part of the SRJS Programme. There were over 30 participants including district technical officers & policy makers, representatives from affected communities, forest rangers, media etc. The workshop specifically focused on stakeholder participation in SEA/ESIA. 

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SEA a universal tool for legitimitising landscape processes?

Wageningen University (WUR) organised the SDG Conference 'Towards Zero Hunger: Partnerships for Impact'. The NCEA, WUR and PBL facilitated a session on the landscape approach. One of the conclusions: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a universal tool for creating legitimacy of landscape processes. It helps to achieve an evidence base, better governance and more synergy between SDGs. In our recent Views and Experiences publication 2018, we also paid attention to the role of environmental assessment in the landscape approach. 

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SEA for Manila Bay Masterplan?

The city of Manila is growing fast, and faces major challenges in environmental management. In the next three  years, the Philippine and Dutch Governments will be collaborating to develop a sustainable development masterplan for the Manila Bay. Recently the NCEA met with the lead planning authorities to explore how SEA could strengthen the master-planning process.