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	Table of Contents
p. 44 of 57 BACK | NEXT I. The Changing Environment II. Driving Forces of Change III. Options and Opportunities IV. Toward Policy Integration Mounting Pressure for Policy Responses Policy Integration Entry Points for Policy Integration Managing Economic Fundamentals Intrasectoral Policy Integration Intersectoral Policy Integration International Trade and Investment Governance A Framework for Policy Integration Toward an Action Agenda V. Call to Action

Asian Environment Outlook 2001 : IV. Toward Policy Integration

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A Framework for Policy Integration

An overarching deficiency in integration of economic and environmental management in the region is in its piecemeal approach. A nested vertical hierarchy of integrated economic and environmental plans should be established to cover global, regional, national, subnational, and local levels (see Figure 4-3).

Integrated economic and environmental plans should be based on bioregions (such as river basins, islands, or specific ecosystems) across administrative boundaries, including national borders. These plans should be developed using participatory approaches and be endorsed at the appropriate political level. Whenever possible, they should carry sufficient legal status so that breaches and deviations from the plan can be challenged by affected parties. The integrated plans should identify priority economic development, environmental management, and social support strategies leading to specific projects to achieve short- and medium-term goals. Strategic environmental assessments should also be conducted to examine cumulative impacts of policies, programs, and projects and to systematically document the likely environmental outcomes of such integrated plans.

Based on careful review of a wide range of integrated environmental and economic plans, global, regional, and national plans rarely contain sufficient detail for direct implementation. At the other end of the spectrum, project and local plans are often disconnected from national, regional, and global goals. A particular gap in the hierarchy of plans in the Asia and Pacific region is at the subnational level (see Figure 4-4). Some subnational plans have been developed for river basins, integrated area development regions, provinces, islands, and biosphere reserves. Planning guidelines developed by ADB have been applied in a small number of integrated plans in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, PRC, and Thailand (ADB 1998). An important lesson learned from these is to vertically link economic-cum-environmental plans at all levels to ensure that they are consistent and compatible. Also, these plans should consider how the driving forces of change can influence, and be influenced by the five entry points for policy integration (see Table 4-1).

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