Environmental planning and monitoring are two important basic processes for the effective mainstreaming of environmental considerations into development priorities. There have been many environmental planning exercises over the last two decades but with limited efforts to integrate them, or monitor and evaluate their progress and achievements. From experience over the last ten years, two regimes of environmental planning and monitoring frameworks have emerged – generic, and thematic or sectoral.
Generic planning is done to implement the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), for example the National Action Programme for Adaptation or NAPA, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan or NBSAP, and National Action Plan or NAP. These national action plans set out the targets and indicators for monitoring outcomes on climate change, biodiversity and land management work. Environmental assessment is a component of environmental planning.
Thematic or sectoral plans can be done at the national or regional level.
What we do
EMG's key activities here is to assist in collaboration with the three SPREP thematic divisions – climate change, biodiversity conservation and waste management – on the necessary in-country trainings and capacity building on key generic environmental planning and monitoring processes and tools for mainstreaming MEAs' national priorities into key development sectors' policies and planning processes or areawide programmes. Countries will choose the sectors to target with these national planning and monitoring exercises.