Includes appendix and index

Contents: Key principles of SEA -- Purpose and background of the European SEA directive -- Legal context of the SEA directive - Links with other legislation and key procedures -- Transposition of the SEA directive into national law- challenges and procedures -- Some legal problems of implementing the SEA directive into member states' legal systems -- Current status and national strategies for the implementation of SEA in the European Union -- Current SEA practice in England -- Implementing SEA in Germany -- Implementing SEA in Italy: the case of the Emilia Romagna region -- First experience with implementing SEA legislation in Flanders (Belgium) -- Implementing SEA in Austria -- Implementing SEA in Finland- further development of existing practice -- Problems of a minimalist implementation of SEA in the Czech Republic -- Developments of SEA in Poland -- Experiences with SEA in Latvia -- Implementing SEA in Estonia -- Experience of SEA in North America -- And Oceania -- Improved decision-making through SEA- expectations and results in the United States -- SEA in Canada -- SEA of plan objectives and policies to promote sustainability in new Zealand -- Requirements of SEA in developing and fast developing and fast developing countries -- The Need for SEA in Kenya -- SEA for water resources management in Ghana -- SEA in Ukraine -- Importance of SEA in China-The case of the three gorges dam project -- Methodologies for SEA and public participation -- Tools for SEA -- Methodological approaches to SEA within the decision-making process -- Strategic level cumulative impact assessment -- Handling trans boundary cumulative impact in SEA -- Cultural integrity as a criterion of SEA -- Requirements and methods for public participation in SEA -- Public participation in SEA -- Public participation for SEA in a trans boundary context -- Developing quantitative SEA indicators using a thermodynamic approach -- A Structural and functional strategy analysis for SEA -- SEA for abiotic and biotic resources:Soil resources and SEA -- Towards the implementation of SEA- learning from EIA for water resources -- Links between the water framework directive and SEA -- Assessing biodiversity in SEA -- Biodiversity programmes on global, European and national levels related to SEA -- Implementing SEA in spatial and sector planning -- Co-ordination of SEA and landscape planning -- Urban planning and SEA -- SEA in transport planning in Germany -- SEA for agricultural programmes in the EU -- SEA of waste management plans - An Austrian case study -- Mining industry and SEA - An example in Turkey -- Conclusions: Capacity- building and SEA -- A Critique of SEA from the point of view of the German industry -- Best practice use of SEA - industry, energy and sustainable development -- SEA outlook-future challenges and possibilities -- The Full text of the SEA directive -- Consolidated.