Abstract Sanitation coverage in the Republic of Panama is 5 to 10 percent below the Millennium Development Goals targets set for the country. Population growth, urbanization, unplanned development and waste mismanagement have resulted in improvised trash sites and waste discharges into river systems that are important components of the biologically diverse natural environment of Panama. The study sought to investigate and estimate the burden of waste from domestic and agricultural sources in three regions of the Chilibre corrigimiento (district). It was hypothesized that the water quality and land cover data would reflect that the most populated region in the study sample (Region 2) would have more water quality violations than the adjacent background and attenuation regions (Region 1 and Region 3) in the study sample. The results supported that Region 2 had the most water quality violations -- particularly at the CHIL 3 monitoring station. Based on the results the most appropriate best management practices (BMPs) were recommended for the household, community, watershed, and regional level waste management in the study region. Future research will look determine the effectiveness of microfinance programs in bolstering sanitation-based entrepreneurship in Chilibre and across Panama.

隨著環保運動的推展，環境影響評估制度也應運而生。然而長期以來，環評制度的發展多著重在開發行為的環境影響評估，其進行的時間點太晚、無法整體考量社經環境、缺乏累積性影響評估，也使環評制度難以發揮保護環境的效果。近年來受到重視的政策環評，則是將環評層次提升到政府的政策、計畫與方案，其評估的重點，在於整合的角度、多面向的關心並評估策略對整體國家發展的影響，過程中廣納各種意見，與公共政策緊密相關，以達到環境、經濟及社會永續發展的目標。相較於開發環評，政策環評過程中的民眾參與更加重要。然而，過去國內在政策環評的相關研究中，鮮少針對民眾參與進行研究。 本文以民眾參與為基礎，從規劃理論及審議式民主觀點中所重視的「溝通」為出發，探討各理論的理念，期望能以其為借鏡，爲我國政策環評民眾參與途徑尋得新的啟發。同時，全面檢視我國政策環評制度及實施個案，檢討制度缺失及民眾參與情形，以對我國制度提出建言。 經過檢討後發現，我國政策環評發展已超過十年，相關法令規則雖經過多次檢討修正並與世界先進國家發展趨勢相近，但實務執行案例有限，在民眾參與及社會反應情形上的評估，亦未落實，尚難見民眾參與在政策環評過程中的效果；而政策環評不論在評估時點、範疇、適用範圍或細節程度等，均與開發環評有所差異，兩者適用之民眾參與程序亦不應等同視之。本文借鏡審議式民主的落實方式，及行政程序法所賦予民眾表示意見的權利，嘗試將公民會議及聽證制度與政策環評流程結合，透過制度設計，讓一般民眾也能參與環評程序並實質對環評結果產生影響。實際作法為： 一、在政策、計畫或方案構想提出之際，即舉辦公民會議，提供公眾議題的相關資訊及討論場域。 二、結合行政程序法中「計畫確定程序之聽證」的舉行，使民眾意見透過政策環評程序納於決策之中。 最後，本文建議，未來在制度修正方面，應要能突破政策環評適用的侷限性，擴大其適用範圍，提早其進行的時間點；並且強化民眾參與機制，使其意見能在各階段發聲，納入決策，同時加強重視價值思考及追蹤管理，以使政策環評機制能更加完備。 / With the promotion of the environmental movement, environmental impact assessment (EIA) system also began to develop. However, the EIA system primarily emphasized the development process, and because the EIA was often conducted too late in the project cycle for the socio-economic environment to be considered on a larger scale, the lack of cumulative impact assessment makes it difficult for the EIA system to be effective for environmental protection. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA), which has received much attention in recent years, applies the EIA process to government policies, plans and programs. The focus of its evaluation is integrated perspectives, multi-oriented care, and the impacts of SEA on the overall national development. Integrated consideration of opinions and close association with public policies in the SEA process contribute to continuing environmental, economic, and social sustainable development. Therefore, public participation in SEA is more important than which in EIA. However, few domestic researches on public participation in SEA have been done in the past. This paper is based on public participation and written from the perspective of communication which is valued by planning theories and deliberative democracy. Through exploring the various theories, this paper intends to find a new way for which the public in Taiwan can opt to participate in the SEA. At the same time, the paper does a comprehensive review of the domestic SEA system and the implemented cases and evaluates the shortcomings of the system and the public participation in the cases to offer suggestions for the improvement of the system. Following the review, this paper finds that while the domestic SEA system has been developed for more than a decade and the related laws and regulations have been reviewed and revised numerous times to catch up with the world trend, cases of implementation of the SEA are few, and public participation and assessment of social responses have not yet been fully carried out. Moreover, since the EIA and SEA are different in terms of assessment timing, scope, or detail level, the EIA and the SEA should adopt different procedures of public participation. Referring to the practice of deliberative democracy and the Administrative Procedure Act which gives people the right to express their views, this paper attempts to combine a consensus conference, the hearing policy, and the SEA process to allow the general public to participate in the SEA process and influence decision-making. The implementations are described as the following: First, when a concept of a policy, plan or program is proposed, a consensus conference should be held promptly to provide the public with information and a forum. Second, combine the SEA and hearing with planned procedures to include the public’s feedback in decision-making. Finally, this paper suggests that when the government amends the system in the future, it should break the limitations of the SEA, expand its scope of application, conduct the SEA early in project planning, and strengthen the public participation mechanisms to include the public’s opinions at each stage of the process and in decision-making. Meanwhile, consideration of values and monitoring are strengthened to make the mechanisms more complete.

L’étude d’impact des projets d’ouvrages et de travaux a fait ses preuves en tant qu’outil de prévention des atteintes à l’environnement et qu’instrument d’information du public et de démocratie participative. Toutefois, l’expérience acquise dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre de la directive européenne EIE du 27 juin 1985 et de la Convention d’Espoo du 25 février 1991, a très tôt mis en évidence que, bien souvent, l’évaluation environnementale intervenait trop tardivement dans le processus décisionnel, à un stade où les possibilités de changements significatifs sont limitées, alors qu’il est possible de mettre en doute l'existence d'une autorisation administrative impartiale tenant pleinement compte d'une évaluation des incidences sur l'environnement et des observations du public dès lors que les instances politiques responsables se sont déjà clairement prononcées en faveur d’un projet. Il fallait aller plus loin, car c’est en fait au niveau des options stratégiques que les choix structurants, souvent irréversibles, sont effectués, autrement dit, au niveau de documents tels que les plans locaux d’urbanisme pour n’évoquer que les plus courants. C’est la raison pour laquelle ont été adoptés la directive ESE du 27 juin 2001 relative à l’évaluation de certains plans et programmes sur l’environnement, ainsi que le Protocole de Kiev de mai 2003 sur l’« évaluation stratégique environnementale », deux textes très ambitieux qui concernent un vaste pan de la prise de décision dans le secteur public. Aussi, ce n’est qu’après avoir pris soin de déterminer le champ de la procédure et les nombreuses difficultés que ce dernier soulève, qu’il sera ensuite possible d’apprécier de façon plus circonspecte les apports « stratégiques » de l’exigence, les dix années d’expérience française, et une transposition à tâtons, révélant à cet égard que le chemin pourrait encore être long à parcourir avant de satisfaire pleinement aux nouvelles sujétions européennes et onusiennes. / The Environmental Impact Assessment has proven itself as a tool for prevention of environmental damage and as a tool for public information and participatory democracy. However, experience gained in the implementation of the Directive EIA of 27 June 1985 and of the Espoo Convention of 25 February 1991, has quickly highlighted that in many cases, environmental assessment intervened too late in the decision making process, at a stage where the possibilities for significant changes are limited, so that it is possible to doubt the existence of an impartial administrative authorization taking full account of any impact assessment on the environment and public comments since the responsible political authorities have already decided clearly in favor of a project. You had to go further, because it is in fact at the level of strategic options that structural choices, often irreversible, are carried out, in other words at the level of documents such as town and country planning, to mention only the most current. That's why were adopted Directive SEA of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of certain plans and programs on the environment, as well as the Kiev Protocol of May 2003 on "Strategic Environmental Assessment", two very ambitious texts concerning a large pan of decision making in the public sector. It is also, only after having carefully determined the scope of the procedure and many difficulties it raises, it will then be possible to appreciate, in a more circumspect way, the "strategic" contributions or legal perspectives of the new requirement, the French ten years experience and a groping transposition, revealing in this regard that the path could still be long to go before full compliance with European and UN constraints.

O setor público de planejamento de uso e ocupação do solo dispõe de instrumentos para regular o desenvolvimento, como o Plano de Bacia Hidrográfica - PBH, que atua em âmbito regional e os Planos Diretores Municipais - PD, em âmbito municipal, os quais possuem sobreposição de interesses e áreas de gerenciamento. Contudo, o Estado de São Paulo ainda encontra dificuldades em estabelecer conexões entre PBHs e PDs. Apesar de serem peças importantes para o disciplinamento do uso e ocupação do solo, não apresentam interação, ocasionando um descompasso e desarticulação de agentes institucionais com poderes de decisão na área ambiental e, consequentemente, na implementação das decisões tomadas. Assim, a presente tese investiga a possibilidade de integração do Plano Diretor Municipal com o Plano de Bacia Hidrográfica, pertencentes à mesma Unidade de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos a partir da aplicação da Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica. A metodologia do trabalho parte das experiências internacionais de planejamento territorial por planos diretores municipais ou regionais e de aplicação de AAE neste campo do conhecimento, tendo como referência o sistema adotado na Escócia. O arcabouço concebido foi aplicado para desenvolver diretrizes para ser utilizado na Bacia Hidrográfica do Litoral Norte do Estado de São Paulo. Na análise foram contempladas as etapas de elaboração dos distintos instrumentos, os dados utilizados, os momentos de interlocução entre os setores responsáveis e partes interessadas, os mecanismos de verificação de implementação e monitoramento, e os direcionamentos finais dados por todos os instrumentos. Foram identificadas as compatibilidades e incongruências caracterizadas pela aplicação dos instrumentos de planejamento, tendo como resultados positivos do caso escocês o estabelecimento de autoridades consultivas, a aprovação do processo por órgãos externos, e as diretrizes do plano local vinculadas ao planejamento regional, sinalizando para possíveis melhorias dos procedimentos adotados no Litoral Norte do Estado de São Paulo. / The land use planning has different tools to guide the spatial development, as River Basin Management Plan in the regional scale and Local Development Plan in the municipal scale, which overlaps in area and issues of management. However, the São Paulo State has troubles to connect them. Both River Basin Management Plan and Local Development Plan are important to regulate the land use, but they are not integrated accurately by public government with consequences in the planning implementation. This thesis looks for Strategic Environmental Assessment\'s efficiency applied to connect the Local Development Plan with River Basin Management Plan in the same management area. The methodology analyses the international experience in spatial planning by the Strategic Environmental Assessment expertise, and puts the Scottish Management as reference to North Coast of São Paulo State. The analysis contemplates planning procedures, baselines, public participation, monitoring, implementation strategies and planning results. There are compatibilities and divergences of both planning tools and among the positive results of Scottish planning are the adoptions of consult authorities during the planning elaboration, the planning processs external approbation, and the local planning decisions linked by regional planning results. The Scottish expertise could be useful to improve the planning practice in the North Coast of the São Paulo.

A liberação comercial de plantas geneticamente modificadas (PGMs) é assunto controverso, devido ao desconhecimento quanto aos potenciais impactos ambientais e sócioeconômicos que pode suscitar a curto, médio e longo prazo. De modo a regular as deliberações sobre o uso de organismos geneticamente modificados (OGMs) mecanismos regulatórios que se propõem a prever tais impactos estão sendo criados em diversas nações, sendo a análise de risco (AR) o instrumento de estudo ambiental normalmente empregado nos processos decisórios. No entanto, há contestações sobre seu uso como única ferramenta de análise ambiental de PGMs, já que não possibilita a avaliação dos impactos cumulativos, indiretos, de longo prazo e dos interesses das nações delineados em suas políticas, planos e programas (PPPs). Um instrumento proposto por alguns autores passível de abarcar tais considerações é a Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica, que busca inserir a variável ambiental durante as fases de planejamento que resultam na elaboração de PPPs. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o sistema regulatório envolvendo a liberação em escala comercial de PGMs no Brasil e as potenciais contribuições da AAE para o processo decisório, contemplando os princípios de uma boa governaça ambiental nos processos decisórios. Para tanto, aplicou-se um questionário eletrônico a agentes sociais interessados pelo tema visando identificar suas visões sobre o assunto, analisou-se os procedimentos utilizados na deliberação sobre o algodão MON1445 resistente ao herbicida glifosato e, por fim, efetuou-se a avaliação dos instrumentos análise de risco, estudo de impacto ambiental (EIA) e AAE quanto à inserção da variável ambiental nas tomadas de decisão. Os resultados obtidos foram: com relação ao sistema regulatório, cujos pressupostos encontram-se na Lei de Biossegurança, evidenciou-se a falta de legitimidade nas tomadas de decisão, as quais são realizadas pela CTNBio, enquanto que a Constituição brasileira atribui aos órgãos ambientais a deliberação sobre atividades potencialmente poluidoras, dentre estas aquelas que envolvam OGMs; a deficiência dos mecanismos de participação social, pois as audiências públicas ocorrem mediante decisão da CTNBio; a falta de acesso às informações, devido a não implementação do Sistema de Informações sobre Biossegurança (SIB), além do descumprimento de diversas legislações, que configuram no desrespeito à justiça ambiental. Em razão destes fatores, conclui-se que o sistema regulatório brasileiro sobre PGMs não se baseia em uma boa governança ambiental. Quanto aos instrumentos de avaliação de impactos ambientais, a análise de risco, em função dos aspectos acima levantados, não se adequa para a avaliação prévia de PGMs, podendo ser utilizada como uma metodologia que subsidie o EIA ou a AAE. O EIA, por sua vez, não tem a atribuição de avaliar ações que envolvam territórios abrangentes, mas sim de atividades pontuais que se dão em etapas posteriores de planejamento. Já a AAE contribuiria para a tomada de decisões no tocante à liberação comercial de PGMs, em função de seus princípios de transparência, envolvimento social, planejamento ambiental, abrangência de extensos recortes territoriais, avaliação de impactos cumulativos e de longo prazo e monitoramento ambiental contínuo. Deste modo, recomendou-se a utilização da AAE no planejamento ambiental envolvendo liberações comerciais de PGMs no Brasil. / The commercial release of genetically modified crops (GMCs) is controversial, due to the lack of knowledge about the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts that can lead to short, medium and long term. In order to regulate the deliberations on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), regulatory mechanisms that are proposed to predict such impacts are being created in many nations, with risk analysis (RA) being the instrument normally used in environmental studies for decision-making. However, there are some doubts about its use as the only tool of environmental analysis of PGMs, since it does not allow the assessment of cumulative, indirect and long-term impacts and the interests of the nation outlined in their policies, plans and programs (PPPs). An instrument proposed by some authors likely to embrace such considerations is the Strategic Environmental Assessment, which seeks to insert the environmental variable during the planning stages that result in the development of PPPs. This thesis aimed to evaluate the regulatory system involving the commercial release of GMCs in Brazil and the potential contribution of SEA to decisionmaking process, incorporating the principles of good governance. To this end, we applied an electronic questionnaire to some social actors to identify their views on the subject, reviewed the procedures used in the deliberation of the glyphosate-resistant cotton MON1445 and, finally, we performed the evaluation of risk analysis, environmental impact statement (EIS) and SEA as tools of environmental parameter insertion in decision-making. The results obtained were: with respect to the regulatory system, whose assumptions are in the Biosafety law, there was a lack of legitimacy in decision-making, which are held by CTNBio, while the brazilian Constitution assigns the decision on potentially polluting activitities (among which is those related to the GMOs) to the environmental agencies; the deficiency of the mechanisms of social participation, since decisions for public hearings are taking by CTNBio; lack of access to information due to non-implementation of the Information Biosafety System (IBS), and the disrespect of various laws, whith disregard for environmental justice. Because of these factors, the brazilian regulatory system on PGMs is not based on good environmental governance. With regard to instruments for environmental studies, risk analysis, according to the aspects mentioned above, is not suitable for prior assessment of GMCs and can be used as a methodology that assists EIS or SEA. The EIS, in turn, does not have the assignment to assess actions that involve extensive territories, but the pontual activities that take place in later stages of planning. SEA, in turn, would contribute to the decision-making regarding the commercial release of GMPs, according to its principles of transparency, social involvement, environmental planning, coverage of extensive territorial areas, assessment of cumulative and long-term impacts and continuous environmental monitoring. Thus, recommendations were made for the use of SEA in environmental planning involving commercial releases of GMPs in Brazil.

A Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica (AAE) tem se destacado como um instrumento que auxilia no processo de tomada de decisões de Política, Planos e Programas, com aplicações que se distribuem por vários setores. Nos países desenvolvidos, os sistemas de Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica dispõem dos elementos essenciais para a integração do instrumento aos processos de tomada de decisões estratégicas, ao contrário dos países em desenvolvimento. Nesses países, as Agências Multilaterais de Desenvolvimento (AMD) despontam como grandes responsáveis pela disseminação da aplicação da AAE, o que remete à necessidade de sua adaptação aos diferentes contextos verificados. Neste sentido, a presente dissertação de Mestrado é voltada para a caracterização e análise da utilização da AAE pelas AMDs no contexto dos acordos multilaterais de financiamento estabelecidos com países em desenvolvimento. Para tanto, foram identificados o perfil geral de aplicação das AAES pelas AMDs selecionadas (Banco Mundial, Banco Africano de Desenvolvimento, Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento, Banco Asiático de Desenvolvimento), bem como as diretrizes operacionais estabelecidas pelas agências para o uso do instrumento, tendo sido cotejadas diante de princípios de boas práticas para a aplicação da AAE. De modo complementar, para seis casos selecionados, foram aplicados procedimentos voltados à identificação dos aspectos estratégicos relacionados aos objetos submetidos à avaliação, bem como o alinhamento entre os Termos de Referência e as Avaliações Ambientais. Finalmente, foram aplicados critérios para revisão da qualidade dos relatórios das AAEs selecionadas. Os resultados obtidos indicam que as AMDs analisadas têm contribuído para a disseminação da AAE nos países em desenvolvimento, tendo solicitado 214 estudos em 59 países até o ano de 2014. Contudo, a abordagem empregada pelas AMDs - derivadas basicamente a partir das diretrizes operacionais estabelecidas em 1999 pelo Banco Mundial - apresenta diferenças importantes com as boas práticas internacionais no que diz respeito à avaliação de alternativas estratégicas e participação pública, além de serem aplicadas a objetos com baixo enfoque estratégico. Os resultados obtidos a partir da revisão de qualidade dos relatórios analisados mostram-se coerentes e alinhados com o contexto de aplicação das AAEs, apresentando baixa qualidade em termos da descrição da baseline, estabelecimento de alternativas e participação pública. / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been highilighted as an instrument that assist the process of Policy, Plan and Program decision making, with applications distributed in various sectors. In developed countries, the SEA systems have the essential elements which promote the integration of this instrument to strategic decision making processes, as opposed to developing countries. In these countries, the Multilateral Development Agencies (MDA) emerge as responsible for the widespread of SEA application, which lead to the need to adapt this tool to different contexts. In this sense, this Master\'s thesis is focused on the characterization and analysis of the use of SEA by MDAs in the context of multilateral financing agreements established with developing countries. Thus, the general profile of SEA applications required by MDAs (World Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and Asian Development Bank) and the SEA operating guidelines established by these agencies have been identified, and faced to principles of SEA good practice. Moreover, to six selected cases, procedures were applied aimed at identifying the strategic aspects related to the objects undergoing assessment as well as the alignment between the Terms of Reference and Environmental Assessments. Finally, criteria to review the quality of reports were applied to the selected SEAs. The results indicate that MDAs analyzed have contributed to the spread of the SEA in developing countries, requiring 214 studies in 59 countries by 2014. However, the approach used by MDAs - basically derived from the operational guidelines established by the World Bank in 1999 - has important differences compared to international best practice with regard to the evaluation of strategic alternatives and public participation, beside being applied to objects with low strategic focus. The results from the reports quality review are conherent and aligned to the SEAs context application, showing low quality in the baseline description, alternatives establishment and public participation.

A consideração da variável ambiental nos processos decisórios de Políticas, Planos e Programas vem se mostrando um fator importante na busca pela sustentabilidade. A Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica se apresenta como o principal instrumento de planejamento para esta finalidade, em especial nos países que já possuem uma estrutura jurídica e institucional sólidas, além de tradição na prática de planejamento. A experiência internacional abordada pela pesquisa (Nova Zelândia, Inglaterra e Portugal) evidencia que arranjos institucionais já consolidados, dentre outros fatores, possibilita a utilização da AAE mediante a adequação de suas etapas às especificidades do contexto onde será adotada, em face de sua flexibilidade, ainda que aplicável a realidades distantes. Apesar de possuir uma estrutura de planejamento frágil, o Brasil apresenta iniciativas institucionais para operacionalização da AAE, no entanto, desfocadas em virtude de ausência de marcos conceituais claros e procedimentos definidos, ao contrário do que ocorre no cenário internacional. Através da análise integrada dos cenários internacional e nacional, este trabalho discute e investiga, a partir da experiência observada nos países selecionados, alternativas jurídicas, institucionais e de procedimentos para a incorporação da AAE em sua estrutura interna, incluindo a relação desta ferramenta com instrumentos da Política Nacional de Meio Ambiente. A pesquisa evidenciou que o Brasil não apresenta ações efetivas e práticas no sentido de tutelar os recursos naturais, embora haja previsões neste sentido tanto na Constituição Federal quanto na Política Nacional de Meio Ambiente. A experiência internacional retratou que a utilização da AAE pode se mostrar importante para mitigar este quadro, mediante o estabelecimento de um sistema que possibilite integrar os diversos níveis estratégicos de planejamento, incorporando o valor ambiental em todas as suas agendas e influenciando a tomada de decisão. Este trabalho apresenta, então, alternativa para que, tanto a aplicação da AAE quanto outras ferramentas (Licenciamento Ambiental e Estudo de Impacto Ambiental) não sejam objeto de submissão ou pressão imposta pelo poder econômico, concluindo que a eventual adoção formal da AAE no Brasil necessita de regras jurídicas claramente definidas que permitam implementar uma estrutura de planejamento participativo transparente e que possibilite a participação popular. / The environmental variable in the decision processes of Policies, Plans, and Programmes has been taken in consideration as an important factor in the pursuit of sustainability. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is presented as the main planning instrument for this purpose, particularly in countries with tradition in the planning practice and solid legal and institutional structures. This research addresses an international experience (New Zealand, England, and Portugal) which shows that, among other factors, established institutional arrangements enables the use of SEA once their steps are adjusted, taking its flexibility into account, to the specificities of the context where it will be adopted, even when dealing with distant realities. Brazil, despite its fragile planning structure, presents institutional initiatives to operationalize the SEA, however, such initiatives are blurred due the lack of clear conceptual frameworks and well defined procedures which are already internationally established. By analyzing both national and international scenarios, this research discusses and investigates, based on the experiences observed in the selected countries, legal, institutional, and procedural alternatives for the incorporation of the SEA in its internal structure, what includes the relationship of this device to National Environmental Policy instruments. The research also shows that Brazil doesn\'t offer effective and practical actions to protect the natural resources, even in a scenario where such protection is planned by the Federal Constitution and the National Environmental Policy. The international experience demonstrates that the use of SEA may mitigate this scenario by establishing a system that allows the integration of the varied strategic levels of planning, adding environmental value and influencing the decisions. This research then presents an alternative so that the use of SEA and other devices may be free of submission or pressure imposed by the economic power, concluding that any formal adoption of SEA in Brazil requires clearly defined legal rules that allow to implement a transparent participatory planning structure that enables citizen participation.

A avaliação de impacto ambiental realizada no Brasil limitada aos projetos apresenta dificuldades para o incremento da qualidade ambiental em função das características da área. Alguns países aplicam a Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica - AAE para a avaliação de políticas, planos e programas, o que permite aos tomadores-de-decisão incluir a variável ambiental com maior antecedência, aumentando as possibilidades de adequação das propostas. O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar as possíveis contribuições da AAE para o planejamento de uso e ocupação do solo municipal, com aproximação da realidade brasileira pela experiência do município de São Carlos-SP com seu Plano Diretor Municipal - PDM, seguido da sistematização dos instrumentos ambientais aplicados para o planejamento de uso e ocupação do solo municipal. A metodologia foi pautada na seleção de 2 relatórios de AAE e 1 PDM, com a identificação de etapas e características AAE (regulamentada pela Diretiva Européia 2001/42) e do Plano Diretor Municipal (regulamentado pela Lei Federal 10.257/01 - Estatuto da Cidade), o cruzamento dos diferentes instrumentos com a proposição de aplicação da AAE segundo os procedimentos do Estatuto da Cidade, para enfim, chegar a uma proposta de modelo para o município de São Carlos. Experiências de aplicação mostram como a AAE contribui para o direcionamento sustentável do desenvolvimento municipal, integrando o gerenciamento dos conflitos locais, os interesses políticos e a participação da sociedade, fortalecendo a gestão democrática da tomada-de-decisão. A pesquisa indica que a AAE pode contribuir para atingir os objetivos de sustentabilidade pela avaliação e integração do PDM com outros instrumentos de planejamento, sendo que esta integração possibilita que procedimentos participativos auxiliem a romper as barreiras entre disciplinas e grupos de interesse, permitindo que somem força de trabalho para as autoridades responsáveis pela implementação das ações de planejamento. / The environmental impact assessment in Brazil is limited for projects have presented difficulties to improve the environmental quality in function of the local characteristics. Therefore some countries have applied the Strategic Environmental Assessment - SEA for management policy, plans and programs, which allows decision makers to input environmental issues earlier and create more opportunities to suit the actions. The main aim of this research is to identify the contributions of the SEA to land use municipal planning with an approach to Brazilian public management, through the Master Plan Development (MPD) of São Carlos - SP. As methodology were select 2 AAE´s report (regulated by European Directive 2001/42/EC) and 1 MPD (regulated by National Law 10.257/01 Citys Statute), crossing the different tools, following the AAE´s application with the City´s Statute procedures, at end, a proposal of a model to São Carlos. Applications´ experiences show how the SEA can drive the urban development toward sustainable cities, including the management of local conflicts, political interests and public participation, strengthening the democratic management. The research indicates the possible contributions of AAE to sustainable aims by the assessment and integration of PDM with others planning tools, which can help to win the sectors and interests groups barriers, allowing to group the work of different responsible for planning actions.

Urbanisation and infrastructure developments impact on the surrounding natural environment and threaten biodiversity. The fragmentation of natural habitats in particular is a major obstacle for the preservation of biodiversity in a long-term perspective. In the planning process, both the environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment processes play a central role in the identification and prediction of impacts on biodiversity. At the same time, the devel-opment of GIS technologies and GIS-based ecological models offer new perspectives in the elaboration of predictions. In order to analyse current practices and identify the need for im-provements in the environmental impact process, a review of environmental impact assessment reports was carried out. Further, a review of existing GIS methods and GIS-based ecological models is presented. The results of the review of environmental impact assessment reports show a lack of predictions in current biodiversity assessments. These asssessments often concentrate on impacts at the local scale, failing to consider large-scale and widespread impacts at the ecosys-tem and landscape levels. The review of GIS methods and GIS-based ecological models demon-strate the possibility to generate quantitative predictions for a specific area as well as for it’s sur-rounding environment. At the same time, the flexibility and reproducibility of such methods would allow predictions to be made for different alternatives or scenarios, therefore providing decision makers with relevant information of potential impacts on biodiversity. This would, in turn, result in an improved integration of biodiversity issues in physical planning and contribute to a sustainable development. / QC 20101129

Biodiversity loss is a pressing global problem and land use is known for being one of the most direct contributors. In European Union countries, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is required for land use plans that set a strategic framework for future development such as regional land use plans. Biodiversity would be very feasible to address in the SEA as it has the capacity to include the complexity biodiversity poses. Technology is increasingly being used for biodiversity conservation as it allows effective collection and processing of data. This research aimed to assess current SEA practices of addressing biodiversity and explore possibilities of how conservation technology could be used to assist SEA in addressing biodiversity loss more effectively in the field of land use planning. To fulfil the research aim, a document analysis of six regional land use plans and their SEA reports and four semi- structured interviews with an AI-company Spoor AI staff were conducted. The results of the document analysis showed that biodiversity is typically addressed in qualitative terms while an effective assessment would also require quantifying biodiversity variables. The results of the semi-structured interviews indicated that previous experience from the wind power sector has shown that conservation technology could be taken advantage of in collecting data about biodiversity cost-effectively and reliably, while AI can be used to analyse that data. Conservation technology could be taken advantage of in SEA by deepening the understanding of the development context, supporting the decision-making and monitoring. Implementing conservation technology in SEA could encourage the use of the strategic thinking SEA -model and contribute to several theoretical principles that guide the SEA practice. / Förlust av biologisk mångfald är ett pressande globalt problem och markanvändning är känd för att vara en av de mest direkta bidragsgivarna. I EU-länder krävs en strategisk miljöbedömning (SEA) för markanvändningsplaner som sätter en strategisk ram för framtida utveckling, såsom regionala markanvändningsplaner. Den biologiska mångfalden skulle vara mycket möjlig att ta itu med i SEA eftersom den har kapacitet att ta itu med den komplexitet som den biologiska mångfalden innebär. Teknologi används i allt större utsträckning för att bevara den biologiska mångfalden eftersom den möjliggör effektiv insamling och bearbetning av data. Denna forskning syftade till att undersöka hur nuvarande SEA-praxis hanterar biologisk mångfald och utforskar möjligheter för hur teknologi kan användas för att bidra till SEA arbetet genom att hantera förlusten av biologisk mångfald mer effektivt inom markanvändningsplanering. För att svara på forskningsmålet genomfördes en dokumentanalys av sex regionala markanvändningsplaners SEA-rapporter och fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med ett AI-företag Spoor AI-personal. Resultaten av dokumentanalysen visade att biologisk mångfald vanligtvis behandlas i kvalitativa termer medan en effektiv bedömning också kräver kvantifierade variabler. Resultaten av de semistrukturerade intervjuerna indikerade att tidigare erfarenheter från vindkraftssektorn har visat att teknik kan utnyttjas för att samla in data om biologisk mångfald på ett kostnadseffektivt och tillförlitligt sätt, samtidigt som AI kan användas för att analysera denna data. Naturvårdsinriktad teknologi skulle kunna utnyttjas i SEA genom att fördjupa förståelsen av utvecklingskontexten, stödja beslutsfattande och få en säkrare övervakning. Att implementera naturvårdsinriktad teknologi i SEA skulle kunna uppmuntra användningen av den strategiskt tänkande SEA-modellen och bidra till flera teoretiska principer som vägleder SEA-praktiken.