Help topics
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policies and legislation - see SEA Manual
For help with SEA, see the SEA Manual |
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Disclaimer: The following informal guidance is provided for information only and does not constitute formal legal or other professional advice. The authors assume no liability for actions undertaken in reliance on the information contained in this guidance. |
Where can I get help on biodiversity
issues?
Convention on Biological Diversity
Article 14. Impact Assessment and Minimizing Adverse Impacts
1. Each Contracting Party, as far as possible and as appropriate, shall:
(a) Introduce appropriate procedures requiring environmental impact assessment of its proposed projects that are likely to have significant adverse effects on biological diversity with a view to avoiding or minimizing such effects and, where appropriate, allow for public participation in such procedures;
(b) Introduce appropriate arrangements to ensure that the environmental consequences of its programmes and policies that are likely to have significant adverse impacts on biological diversity are duly taken into account;
(c) Promote, on the basis of reciprocity, notification, exchange of information and consultation on activities under their jurisdiction or control which are likely to significantly affect adversely the biological diversity of other States or areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, by encouraging the conclusion of bilateral, regional or multilateral arrangements, as appropriate;
(d) In the case of imminent or grave danger or damage, originating under its jurisdiction or control, to biological diversity within the area under jurisdiction of other States or in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, notify immediately the potentially affected States of such danger or damage, as well as initiate action to prevent or minimize such danger or damage; and
(e) Promote national arrangements for emergency responses to activities or events, whether caused naturally or otherwise, which present a grave and imminent danger to biological diversity and encourage international cooperation to supplement such national efforts and, where appropriate and agreed by the States or regional economic integration organizations concerned, to establish joint contingency plans.
2. The Conference of the Parties shall examine, on the basis of studies to be carried out, the issue of liability and redress, including restoration and compensation, for damage to biological diversity, except where such liability is a purely internal matter.
COP 8 Decision VIII/28
The following references are very similar:
Decision VIII/28 of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity, on Impact assessment: Voluntary guidelines on biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment - Convention
on Biological Diversity  |
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ENG |
FRE |
SPA |
| Decision
VI/7 of the 6th Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (regarding
incorporation of biodiversity into EIA & SEA)
(342 kB) |
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ENG |
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| Resolution VIII.9 of the 8th Meeting of the
Conference of the Contracting Parties
to the Convention on Wetlands, 'Guidelines for
incorporating biodiversity-related issues into
environmental impact assessment legislation and/or
processes and in strategic environmental assessment'
adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD), and their relevance to the Ramsar Convention
- Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands |
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ENG |
FRE |
SPA |
| Resolution 7.2 of the Conference of the Parties
at its Seventh Meeting, 'Impact Assessment and
migratory species' - Convention on
Migratory Species |
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ENG |
FRE |
SPA |
Additionally:
Where can I get help on climate
change issues?
Where can I get help on cultural
heritage?
| Reference Guide: Assessing
Environmental Effects on Physical and Cultural
Heritage Resources (April 1996), Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency |
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ENG |
FRE |
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| Guidance for the Environmental Assessment of
the impacts of certain plans, programmes or projects
upon the heritage value of historical areas, in
order to contribute to their long-term sustainability
- from the SUIT
project |
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ENG |
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Where can I get help on cumulative
and indirect effects?
| Operational Policy Statement: Addressing Cumulative Environmental Effects under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Original: March 1999, Update: November 2007, Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency |
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ENG |
FRE |
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| Guidelines
on the Assessment of Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
as well as Impact interactions, and Study
on the Assessment of Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
as well as Impact interactions, European
Commission (DG
Environment ) |
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ENG |
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Where can I get help on geological
issues?
Where can I get help on health
issues?
Introductory information on health in the Convention
and Protocol available here. And see the EIA
& SEA links page for Health Impact Assessment Centres.
Additional resources:
Where can I get help on public
participation?
Introductory information on public participation
in the Convention and Protocol is available here.
Guidance on public participation in transboundary
EIA, adopted by the Parties to the Convention
(June 2004) - available here.
Other resources include:
| Public Participation - Best Practice Principles, by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA ) |
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ENG |
FRE |
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| A
One Stop Participation Guide: A Handbook for Public
Participation in Environmental
Assessment In Southern Africa |
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ENG |
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| - and other
products of the Calabash
project (with Southern
African Institute for Environmental Assessment ) |
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ENG |
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| Methods
and Tools for Practical Application of the Espoo
Convention in Romania and Bulgaria, a brochure on public participation
in transboundary EIA, by Environmental
Experts Association of Romania and Institute
for Ecological Modernisation of Bulgaria |
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ENG |
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| - cover |
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ENG |
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| Proceedings
of International Workshop on Public Participation
and Health Aspects in Strategic Environmental
Assessment (Convened to support the development
of the UNECE Protocol on Strategic Environmental
Assessment to the Espoo Convention), published
by the Regional Environmental Center for Central
and Eastern Europe (the
REC ) and edited by Jiri Dusik, 147 pages, November 2001, ISBN 963 8454
99 7 (1.3 MByte) |
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ENG |
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| UNECE Convention
on Access to Information, Public Participation
in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters (the Aarhus Convention) |
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ENG |
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| - and its clearing
house |
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ENG |
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| Handbook
of Good practices in Public Participation at the
Local Level arising from an Aarhus Convention
workshop in Newcastle Upon Tyne (United Kingdom),
6-7 December 1999 (Article 7 case studies include
examples for public participation in SEA) |
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ENG |
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Where can I get help on reviewing?
Where can I get help on scoping?
Where can I get help on screening?
Where can I get help on sectoral
impacts?
- The Convention has developed, as a result of
an informal study undertaken in 1995, sectoral
checklists for transboundary EIA, available here.
(More recent and complete checklists are provided
in the World Bank Environmental
Assessment Sourcebook.)
For highways, dams and wind farms:
Application
of EIA: Highways and Dams, UNECE, 1987, Environmental
Series No. 1
ECE/ENV/50 (14MB) |
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ENG |
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| Guidance on EIA for wind farms, Belgrade, June 2010 (UNDP's West Balkans Environment Programme) |
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ENG |
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Where can I get help on significance?
| Reference Guide: Determining
Whether A Project is Likely to Cause Significant
Adverse Environmental Effects (November 1994), Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency |
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ENG |
FRE |
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Specific
Methodologies and Criteria to Determine the Significance
of Adverse Transboundary Impact (1995)
CEP/WG.3/R.6 |
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ENG |
FRE |
RUS |
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