The regulation of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Brazil

Abstract

The practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been expanding worldwide, aiming to include environmental issues within strategic planning. However, there is no precise regulation of SEA application in Brazil, and this practice is not systematic. In this context, this paper aimed to evaluate proposals for regulating SEA in Brazil regarding the elements of a SEA system. Documented proposals were identified through literature reviews, and the identified 14 documents’ content was analysed according to best practice criteria. Gaps were identified in all proposals, and none of the proposals met all the criteria applied in this research. The definition of objectives and SEA field of application was the criteria best reached (present in more than 70% of the documents). However, most of the proposals were limited only to these points, missing other essential elements of a SEA system. These results indicate a low institutional maturity concerning SEA in Brazil.