Beyond compliance
Enhancing biodiversity through transformative mitigation strategies in spatial planning related SEAs and EIAs
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11368106 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lone Kørnøv (0000-0002-2989-9553, Aalborg University, corresponding author), Emilia Ravn Boess (0000-0001-9732-2185, Aalborg University), Søren Qvist Eliasen (0000-0002-2362-7418, Aalborg University), Sanne Vammen Larsen (0000-0001-7731-9296, Aalborg University), Karla E Locher-Krause, Karla E Locher‐Krause, Yuanzao Zhu (0000-0002-9801-5520), Heidi Wittmer (0000-0001-6966-7258), Lia Borges Laporta, Lia Laporta (0000-0003-4178-4537), Davide Geneletti (0000-0002-5528-3365), Margarida Barata Monteiro (0000-0001-7846-2967), Margarida Barata Moneteiro, Maria Rosario Partidario (0000-0002-5564-719X) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 114 |
| Pages | 107960 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Impact Assessment Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0195-9255 • E-ISSN: 1873-6432 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.eiar.2025.107960 |
| OpenAlex | W4410002097 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 35 |
The global biodiversity crisis underscores the need for transformative change in how development impacts are managed, and biodiversity is preserved. This study explores the integration of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) within spatial planning and infrastructure projects, emphasizing their evolving role in promoting both mitigation and enhancement of impacts. Traditionally, SEAs and EIAs have focused on minimizing negative impacts through the mitigation hierarchy; however, this research advocates for a broader, proactive application that includes enhancement measures to achieve net-positive biodiversity impacts. Using a collection of 200 SEA and EIA reports from Denmark, Spain, Portugal, and Germany, analyzed within the BioValue research project, this study examines how these assessments apply the mitigation and enhancement hierarchy to promote positive outcomes. The findings reveal significant variability in the practical application of SEAs and EIAs, highlighting both strengths and gaps in integrating enhancement measures. By focusing on enhancement as a formal requirement and strengthening the ‘avoidance’ step in the mitigation hierarchy, this paper argues that SEA and EIA can transition from reactive assessments to proactive instruments in environmental governance and add value to spatial planning developments. The study concludes with recommendations for embedding enhancement into regulatory frameworks, encouraging a shift towards transformative environmental assessment practice
Biodiversity · Biology · Business · Compliance (psychology · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Fishery · Marine spatial planning · Sociology · Spatial planning · Transformative learning · Environmental and Social Impact Assessments · Environmental Conservation and Management · Environmental Science · Mining and Resource Management · Psychology · Ecology
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A spatially explicit environmental performance indicator accounting for different life-cycle impact pathways of onshore wind energy infrastructure
Benchmarking biodiversity integration in environmental assessments
Accelerating climate change mitigation and conserving biodiversity – the role of advanced digitalization for a fast and environmentally sound energy transition linking SEA and EIA
Capturing Ipbes diverse values of nature for EIA by surfacing community values
Unpacking dimensions of a tiering typology
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The mitigation hierarchy upside down – a study of nature protection measures in Danish infrastructure projects
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Understanding impact assessment from other perspectives
Transforming the capacity of impact assessment to address persistent global problems
Handbook on biodiversity and ecosystem services in impact assessment
Tiering biodiversity issues from strategic environmental assessment to environmental impact assessment
The politics of biodiversity offsetting across time and institutional scales
Transformations to sustainability
The time is now to improve the treatment of biodiversity in Canadian environmental impact statements
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The effectiveness of the mitigation hierarchy in environmental impact studies on marine ecosystems
Biodiversity and bird surveys in Finnish environmental impact assessments and follow-up monitoring
Researchers' perspective on the main strengths and weaknesses of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures
Investigating the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy approach in environmental impact assessment in relation to biodiversity impacts
Advancing the theory and practice of impact assessment
A framework for evaluating enhancement quality as part of the EIA process
Global environmental change II
Exploring the governance and politics of transformations towards sustainability
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |