The participation process of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA): application of participation criteria in Bolivia’s SEA reports

Abstract

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a proactive, systematic and participatory tool that seeks to take into consideration the environmental components into different levels of strategic decisions (Policy, Plan and Programme making), aiming at a sustainable development. Therefore, public participation has a key role regarding the strengthening of democratic and governance relations. To this end, several international organizations established some criteria and principles about public participation in the SEA, which have been integrated in the legislation of several countries around the world. Thus, the present study aims to investigate how public participation has been incorporated in the SEA of Bolivia, through the application of participation criteria established by international organizations. The methodology followed three steps: 1) criteria selection of public participation; 2) selection of Bolivia’s SEA reports; and 3) assessment of public participation in the reports selected. Eleven participation criteria were selected and assessed following an established grading system. Regarding public participation incorporation, the four assessed reports of Bolivia’s SEA do not display a homogeneous nature: there are well described and organized reports that satisfactorily met the criteria, as well as others which displayed information that is more superficial. The results demonstrate that the lack of policy willingness, accessible information for the people interested and the weakness of the legislative framework can be considered the main limiting factors about public participation in the decision process.