ABSTRACT
The use of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) worldwide has been greater and faster than expected when discussions on its possible relevance and need first took place between the late 1980s and early 1990s. A multiple-purpose and multiple-shape instrument has evolved, as currently observed in international practice. Some consider this diversity in SEA to be quite confusing and troubling for its efficient and pragmatic application. Others see this diversity as an opportunity to develop an instrument that can be well adapted to the policymaking and planning characteristics of different countries and organizations.
