Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

2. Climate change and biodiversity in SEAThis section looks at how climate change and biodiversity are currently featured in SEAs. It reviewsthe requirements of the SEA Directive and discusses the benefits and challenges of integratingclimate change and biodiversity into SEAs.2.1 The legal basis and the ‘spirit’ of the DirectiveThe SEA Directive contains a number of starting principles that provide a useful basis for consideringclimate change and biodiversity in SEA. ‘Biodiversity’ and ‘climatic factors’ are specified in the list offactors to be assessed, as well as ‘fauna’ and ‘flora’ (see Table 1). The Directive sets out clearly toestablish a high level of protection for the environment (Article 1) and to integrate environmentalconsiderations into the preparation of PP likely to have significant effects on the environment, with aview to promoting sustainable development.Table 1: Direct and indirect references to climate change and biodiversity in the SEA DirectiveIssue Directive reference (direct) Directive reference (indirect)Climate Change• Annex I(f) requires an environmental reportto consider the effects on ‘climatic factors’.• Annex I(d) requires an environmental reportto consider any existing environmentalproblems which are relevant to the PPincluding, in particular, those relating to any• The recitals to the Directive refer to theConvention on Biological Diversity, theHabitats Directive and the Birds Directive.areas of a particular environmentalBiodiversityimportance, such as areas designatedpursuant to 92/43/EEC 3 (‘HabitatsDirective’) and the Directive 2009/147/EC 4(‘Birds Directive’).• Annex I(f) requires an environmental reportto consider the effects on ‘biodiversity’,‘fauna’ and ‘flora’.• Annex I(f) requires an environmental report • Article 1 sets out the Directive’s objective toRelevant toboth climatechange andbiodiversityto consider the ‘interrelationship’ betweenall listed factors.provide for a high level of protection of theenvironment and integration ofenvironmental considerations into planning.• Annex I requires an environmental report toconsider environmental objectives atinternational, EU and Member State levels.• Article 10(1) requires monitoring of theeffects of implementing PP to identifyunforeseen effects at an early stage.3 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, as amended, OJ L 206,22.7.1992, p.7.4 Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009, on the conservation of wild birds [codifiedversion], OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p.7.<strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA 15