Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

This guidance document emphasises the importance of integrating more adaptive management intoSEAs − a systematic process to continually improve management policies and practices by learningfrom the outcomes of previously employed policies and practices. 32 One way to do this is to developan effective monitoring system (see box below). In practical terms — given the long timescales oftenconsidered — this is best integrated into the regular review process for PPs so that the objectives ofthe new or revised PP can be adapted to changing circumstances. So, while a PP may have a rolling20-year horizon, it may be reviewed every five years, providing the opportunity to review and revisethe PP in light of changes observed over the preceding five years.Climate change mitigation and adaption indicators, and key biodiversity indicators, should beidentified as part of the monitoring proposals in the SEA. However, many of these are likely toalready be indicators monitored for the PP or other purposes and used to ensure that impactmitigation measures are safeguarded, implemented, and focused on the most significant andrelevant effects identified by the SEA process. Central to adaptive management will be the ability ofthe PP, when reviewed, to respond when thresholds or limits are exceeded or negative trendsworsen, e.g. a continuing decline in populations of farmland birds or increasing frequency of floodevents in the plan area. Adaptive management is therefore more readily integrated into regularplan-making cycles, if these exist. For a one-off PP, e.g. for a linear transport scheme, the adaptivemanagement and mitigation measures need to be fed down the decision-making hierarchy intoindividual projects (and their EIAs) that arise out of the PP. The monitoring arrangements alreadyidentified at strategic level may then be used for EIA.Mitigation measures may have significant residual environmental effects that need to be taken intoaccount (e.g. renewable energy generation or tree planting may have adverse impacts onbiodiversity). Hence, there is a need to monitor the PP regularly and assess the mitigation measuresagainst identified effects on the ground.The IMPEL Project’s Report 33 provides useful generic information on monitoring in SEA.Case study:SEA of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan for Flood Risk Management — monitoring adaptive capacityThis SEA highlights the importance of monitoring the plan, given its long-term focus and the inherent uncertainty.The SEA report states that monitoring will help to achieve ‘timely adaptation of the plan in response to changes inhow the Estuary responds to both climate change and the flood risk management approaches.’ Among the aspectsthat the SEA expects to monitor are: impacts of flood risk management measures and sea level rise (which willprovide an indication of the biodiversity effects and help determine whether habitat replacement measures arecorrectly aligned with the rate and scale of habitat loss); health and stability of the intertidal habitat; and ‘climaticfactors’ as measured by mean sea level rise, peak surge tide level and peak river flood flows.Source: The Environment Agency for England and Wales relevant webpage32 Further guidance on adaptive management can be found at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/amhome/Admin/index.htm.33 IMPEL Project: Implementing Article 10 of the SEA Directive 2001/42/EC, Final Report (Impel, 2002).<strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA 49