STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT EFFECTIVENESS AND THE INITIATIVE FOR THE INTEGRATION OF REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH AMERICA (IIRSA): A MULTIPLE CASE REVIEW

Claudia Kis Madrid (), Gordon M. Hickey () and Michel A. Bouchard ()
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Claudia Kis Madrid: McGill-United Nations Environment Programme Collaborating, Centre on Environmental Assessment, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X3V9, QC, Canada
Gordon M. Hickey: McGill-United Nations Environment Programme Collaborating, Centre on Environmental Assessment, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X3V9, QC, Canada
Michel A. Bouchard: McGill-United Nations Environment Programme Collaborating, Centre on Environmental Assessment and Department of Civil Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, C.P. 6079, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, H3C 3A7, QC, Canada

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2011, vol. 13, issue 04, 515-540

Abstract: Over the last decade, South American countries have been promoting physical integration of the territory in response to regional export-driven industrialisation policies and the global demand for agriculture products, livestock, and energy sources. A prominent example of this is the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), which was launched at the Meeting of South American Presidents in 2000. At the time of writing, 514 infrastructure projects (including roads, pipelines, waterways, dams and telecommunications systems), with an estimated investment of US$69 billion, had been initiated. Importantly, previous similar development processes in the region have caused serious negative environmental and social impacts. Therefore, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been mandated to ensure that the social and environmental issues are adequately addressed in the project planning process. This paper identifies the conditions under which: (a) the SEAs of the IIRSA projects have been undertaken, and (b) the Action Plans have been (or will be) implemented. Using case studies, it analyses whether the SEAs that have been carried out for the IIRSA's projects can be considered effective under these conditions. Finally, drawing on the case study findings, potential ways for improving SEA performance and maximising effectiveness in South America are discussed.

Keywords: Inter-American Development Bank; Peru; Colombia; Bolivia; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333211003997

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