Strategic environmental assessment of land-use planning in China

Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the People's Republic of China (EIA Law) was approved by the top legislature. In EIA law, the content related to environmental impact assessment for plans (PEIA), including land-use plans, is introduced for the first time. PEIA, also known as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a useful tool to compile a sustainable land-use plan. To date, only a relatively small number of regions and organizations carry out SEA on land-use planning in China. This paper briefly reviews the legal and political basis of SEA on land-use planning in China, analyses the current condition and problems of land-use planning in China, and then puts forward the benefits of SEA for land-use planning. Especially, this paper discusses deeply the SEA system for land-use master planning, which includes key roles and responsibilities of SEA, the process and methods of the impact assessment. Three cases are analyzed, and the comparability and difference of these cases are defined. Finally, some recommendations for improving SEA on land-use planning in China are presented.