Ineke Steinhauer
Technical secretary
The NCEA advised on Terms of Reference (ToR) for a pilot Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that serves as 'training-on-the-job' to introduce SEA in Bolivia. The pilot SEA concerns the Salar de Uyuni salt lake, in which natural, mineral and tourism values need to be balanced.
Significant details
Bolivia's Environmental Ministry identified the need to introduce and develop SEA in the country. The NCEA is contributing to this via various activities, among which 'training-on-the-job' via pilot SEAs. The second pilot (after Puerto Busch) was the salt lake Salar de Uyuni, which has unique natural values, valuable mineral resources and a high tourism potential which need to be balanced via strategic plans.
Involvement of the NCEA to this pilot SEA had the following objectives:
- Assist in developing methodologies which can be more broadly applied and thus support institutionalisation of SEA in Bolivia;
- Assist in defining the scope of strategic contents in Terms of Reference (ToR) for this SEA;
- Assist in integrating the consultation with public and private organisations in the ToR.
The NCEA's advice discusses ToR for the SEA process as well as for the report's contents. It also gives recommendations on the institutional capacity needed to undertake this SEA.