Using Strategic Environmental Assessment as a Managerial Means in Sustainable Development

Iran is currently in transition to industrialization. Therefore, if careful attention is not paid to strategic environmental effects of large-scale plans and national policies, the country will be facing great environmental problems in not-so-a distant future which will prove hard to resolve. Strategic environmental assessment is an acceptable method to achieve sustainable developmental goals by frequent and regular assessment of environmental impact of various developmental policies, plans and projects. This assessment can be also used as an important means of planning by policymakers through which they will be able to identify potential environmental impact of developmental and civil projects and find logical options to eliminate or reduce them.Therefore, the importance of complying with rules and regulations requiring strategic environmental assessment cannot be over emphasized. It helps to prevent untoward consequences of development. The present paper introduces the principles of strategic environmental assessment and then explains its applications and advantages as well as the existing obstacles and limitations. Finally, it draws some mechanisms to bolster scientific, legal and executive foundations of strategic environmental assessment in Iran.