Environmental Assessment
Environmental Assessment is a formal process to identify, assess and mitigate impacts on the environment. We get involved in three types of assessment:
- Strategic Environmental Assessment, which seeks to ensure that the environmental effects of public sector plans, programmes and strategies are fully considered throughout their development and adoption;
- Environmental Impact Assessment, which seeks to ensure that the environmental effects of major projects and development proposals are fully investigated, understood and taken into account before decisions are made on whether they should proceed;
- Habitats Regulations Appraisal, which seeks to ensure that only those plans, projects and development proposals which will not adversely affect the interests of a European protected site are allowed to proceed.
Scottish Natural Heritage is a statutory consultee in each of these. We are keen to help decision makers, developers and others carry out environmental assessments by:
- providing easy access to environmental data that we hold;
- sharing guidance and good practice;
- being clear about how we deal with environmental assessments;
- providing advice on specific sites and topics.
To find out more about our role, follow the links below: