Maria Rosário Partidário

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Lisbon

BRIDGE (bridging science and local communities for wildfire risk reduction) is an action–research project developing a community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) process which is being fostered through a collaborative innovation laboratory (InnoLab). BRIDGE integrates different forms of knowledge and action, linking science and local communiti...

• The underlying factors of an effective visual communication in EIA are evaluated. •All EIA stakeholders expect visual communication to be used in the process. •Proponents have low visual literacy related to poor design skills. •Members of the public have low visual literacy related to interpreting visual communication. •Visual communication i...

The literature on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) reveals a growing number of scholars suggesting that SEA faces challenges, notably in terms of its capacity to support collaborative processes. One possible reason for this to happen relates to practice being saturated with standardized procedures that proffered SEA as a ‘night watchman’ on...

Local knowledge and communities’ active role in disaster risk areas are recognized in the literature as key conditions to better understand risks, enhance adaptive capacities and foster local resilience. A participatory action research project in forest fire-prone areas in Monchique, Portugal, is aligned with the literature and adopts participatory...

Scientific evidence shows that each place/environment generates specific conditions with associated impacts on the mental health and well-being of the population. A holistic, multilevel and integrated environmental approach to mental health enhances the understanding of this phenomena, supporting the local decision-making processes to improve spati...

Agriculture presents one of the central global pressures on biodiversity and climate. In the EU, the Green Deal, the Farm to Fork, and the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 set ambitious environmental targets, acknowledging the key role of agriculture for their achievement. It is, therefore, crucial to integrate such targets in the European Commission’s C...

O período entre 2018 e 2022 mostrou-nos que o problema dos incêndios à escala global não está a diminuir, antes pelo contrário. Parece que as consequências das alterações climáticas já estão a afectar a ocorrência de incêndios florestais em várias partes do Mundo, de uma forma que só esperaríamos que acontecesse vários anos mais tarde. Em muitos pa...

Debates concerning the relation between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental assessment (EA) have long suggested their integration in some form. The purpose of this paper is to go beyond conceptual debates to explore practices of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment in terms of how they change in...

Impact assessment (IA) tools are targeted at decisions and decision-making in theory and in practice. Often described as decision support instruments, most IA are driven by the grand purpose of providing for informed decision-making. In practice this often means IA tends to be more concerned with the information to be provided than with the outcome...

Impact assessment (IA) formally emerged fifty years ago, it evolved, matured but the predominant philosophy did not change much, especially in light of the speed of change the world experiences and the magnitude and persistency of current environmental and social problems. Inspired in the sustainable transitions theory, and the adaptive theory, I r...

Researchers and organizations have been restless in their efforts to explain sustainability and adopt models that enable more sustainable practices. The wide latitude of the sustainability concept, recognized in multiple contexts, motivated this research aimed at understanding meanings of underlying patterns and logics in the use of the terms ‘sust...

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the potential of Social Innovation (SI) for social transformation. Being a popular concept, SI has been discussed for decades, increasingly recognized for its complexity. A systematic review of the literature on SI was undertaken to understand the state-of-the-art, the evolution of the concept a...

Discussions on effectiveness have been around in impact assessment for many years, blending multiple perspectives. This paper is about the effectiveness of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in Portugal. The adopted framework was set by the editors of this special issue and this paper is contributing results obtained through a questionnaire s...

Fishermen’s Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK), when documented, may play an important role in documenting fishing practices, enhancing the understanding of ecological changes and scientific data. Furthermore, through targeted questions, researchers and managers can get information on several social and economic features of fisheries and their value...

This publication was developed as part of the research project “Public space’s service value as an urban system – PSSS Public Space’s Service System”. The project proposes an assessment methodology to identify the value contributed by the public space - the service – in different situations and contexts, allowing for its subjectivity and the variou...

Esta publicação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do projecto de investigação “Valor de serviço do espaço público como sistema urbano – PSSS Public Space’s Service System”. O projecto propõe uma metodologia de avaliação para identificar o valor aportado pelo espaço público - o serviço - em diferentes situações e contextos, admitindo a sua subjectividade e...

This paper explores the relationship between governance contexts and the development and outcomes of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The main objective of this paper is to understand if, and how, the governance context may influence the system and institutionalisation of SEA, and the capacity of SEA to reach its objectives. The research m...

This paper introduces the concept of lasting community wellbeing (LCW), through the lens of five sustainability‐related features at the neighborhood scale in larger city‐regions. The LCW features are vicinity, sense of place, urban and suburban farming, safety and learning, which emphasize continuity of individual and collective satisfaction of loc...

This paper explores the role and capacity of strategic level assessments in addressing the strategic dimension of High Speed Rail (HSR) proposals and influencing decision-making processes. The overall research objective was to find out to what extent opportunities for strategic thinking are being undertaken in HSR. Three different cases of high spe...

The analysis of governance in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can help understand why, whether and how strategic decision-making happens. Understanding the governance context is strategic to improve the role and capacity of SEA to stimulate, and legitimate decisions that integrate environmental issues and are sustainability driven. The obj...

A literatura em Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica (AAE) centra-se muito no âmbito de aplicação e de avaliação, na abordagem metodológica, na participação do público, ou mesmo na eficiência e eficácia da AAE enquanto instrumento. Poucos são os autores que tratam o contexto em que se realiza a AAE em relação às condições de governança. Este tema tem vi...

A saúde mental é uma dimensão intrínseca e menos valorizada da saúde e do bem-estar do indivíduo. Para além de fatores biológicos, genéticos e de circunstâncias pessoais, o(s) ambiente(s) (lugar(es) onde o indivíduo nasce, se desenvolve e envelhece) parece(m) condicionar a saúde e bem-estar mental. Este capítulo explora a evidência científica que p...

A shift is starting to emerge, with rural areas in non-metropolitan areas attracting especially urban population. In Portugal this is a recent phenomenon when compared to other Western European countries. Consequences are still difficult to perceive and to compare with international cases, particularly in terms of rural intervention driven by risin...

The exploitation of oil and gas resources poses several challenges to sustainability. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is broadly recognised as an important instrument to promote sustainability-driven decision-making. This paper aims at exploring to what extent current SEA processes for the oil and gas contribute, procedurally and substanti...

The need to consider governance issues in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as well as how to address the complexity of the governance systems, is a growing field of research and discussion. The usual themes addressed include the role of public participation, monitoring and follow-up, capacity-building, transparency and accountability, but...

In this paper I advocate SEA as an instrument of change towards more sustainable patterns of behaviour and development, by following strategic thinking and constructive approaches. I recommend that the future research agenda of SEA should contribute to make SEA a matured, full-fleshed instrument with a clear identity, and coherent functions and for...

In a complex world, characterized by a multiplicity of cultures and traditions, each system of governance is featured by unique dimensions and perspectives. Embracing a more broad vision on how systems function may help to understand as much as possible the internal and external elements, that consequently influence each citizen’s life. The concept...

Impact Assessment (IA) is a forward-looking instrument that seeks to proactively advise decision-makers on the potential advantages and disadvantages of a proposed action. IA is an important tool for improving governance in a regulatory framework, and governance promotes the IA process.

Constructive and collaborative planning theory has exposed the perceived limitations of public participation in impact assessment. At strategic levels of assessment the established norm can be misleading and practice is illusive. For example, debates on SEA effectiveness recognize insufficiencies, but are often based on questionable premises. The a...

Perhaps like few other industries, tourism depends and is built on environmental, physical and cultural local resources. In this sense, and as suggested by the scientific community and international agencies, sustainability should be a driver for tourism sector development. For this purpose, three main issues are relevant: the interpretation of the...

Multiple decision-makers and uncertainties are involved in SEA. Decisions need to be informed by thoughtful and focused input, especially when we are dealing with high levels of uncertainty. Expectations are high regarding the integration of environmental concerns in strategic decision-making. The rational model has been guiding environmental asses...

Most countries are adopting renewables in their energy strategy to reduce CO 2 emissions and as a way to mitigate global climate change. Despite being natural and renewable, they must be assessed since the same resources have other important uses for local development. Strategic considerations must be accounted in the planning process to ensure tha...

The history of the establishment and management philosophies of the mainland Portuguese Protected Areas was reconstructed through the use of written records and oral history interviews. The objectives were to review the main philosophies in the creation and management of these areas, to assess the influence of international PA models, to compare th...

In the last decade, commitment to tourism as a development strategy for the developing world has gained a renewed interest by governments and development organizations in the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. This was established as a major priority by donors, governments, NGOs, national and international tourism bodies, bilateral an...

In the last decade, commitment to tourism as a development strategy for the developing world has gained a renewed interest by governments and development organizations in the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. This was established as a major priority by donors, governments, NGOs, national and international tourism bodies, bilateral an...

The importance of improving the effectiveness of Plan EIA and SEA-type evaluations in China cannot be overstated: at a time when the country's economy is being boosted by a stimulus package worth over RMB 400 trillion – largely for infrastructure – the pressure on China's already strained environment and resource base is bound to increase. The aim...

In a world in growing turbulence, complexity and uncertainty, where crisis is becoming the norm rather than the exception, resilience is increasingly seen as a critical feature that reflects the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize without collapsing. Resilient systems are more adaptable to change, are more able to learn and ar...

This is the brief story of a decision process and the role of Strategic Environmental Assessment in government political decision-making. Following a prolonged, and agitated, decision process, initiated in the 1960s, the Government of Portugal in 2005 took the final decision to build the new international airport of Lisbon at the controversial loca...

In the last decade, commitment to tourism as a development strategy for the developing world has gained a renewed interest by governments and development organizations in the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. This was established as a major priority by donors, governments, NGOs, national and international tourism bodies, bilateral an...

Turismo sustentável tornou-se uma palavra-chave no debate sobre desenvolvimento turístico ecologicamente integrado. Há algum tempo, surgiram várias propostas para avaliar as consequências ambientais do turismo (como a Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental – AIA) ou para entender quais os níveis de mudança que poderiam ser toleráveis (como o conceito de Ca...

Understanding sustainability engages multiple views in a wide spectrum of technological, social and political positions. Over the last two decades it appears that an evolutionary process reflects a changing sustainability paradigm. At the basis of this changing paradigm remain strong principles of dematerialization, reflected in cuts in natural res...

The role of science in policy and decision-making has been an issue of intensive debate over the past decade. The concept of knowledge brokerage has been developing in this context contemplating issues of communication, interaction, sharing of knowledge, contribution to common understandings, as well as to effective and efficient action. For enviro...

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is going through times of turbulence. Initially introduced to help improve environmental performance in development decision-making, and overcome the inability of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to deal with the complex decision frameworks that support development projects, it has subsequently been int...

L’évaluation environnementale stratégique (EES) traverse actuellement une période de turbulence. Mise en place initialement pour mieux intégrer les considérations d’environnement dans la prise de décision en matière de développement et combler les lacunes des EIE qui ne permettent pas de faire face à la complexité des cadres de décisions contextuel...

This study reviews the main changes of the vegetation and fauna in northern Portugal during the Holocene, using literature from palaeoecology, archaeology, history, writings from travellers and naturalists, maps of agriculture and forestry and expert consultation. The ecological history of this area shows a trend of forestry decline, with periods o...

Indicadores de Turismo Sustentável, Instrumentos de Avaliação de Sustentabilidade

Resumo Muito se tem discutido sobre a necessidade do turismo se desenvolver de forma sustentável. Contudo, para que transponha o discurso e se efetive na prática é necessário que existam diretrizes que indiquem quais aspectos devem ser avaliados, pois é somente através da avaliação que há como saber se os resultados esperados foram alcançados. Dest...

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was used to assist the preparation of the Portuguese Strategy for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). SEA is not legally mandatory for application at policy level under the Portuguese legislation, which, like the European Directive 2001/42, only requires that an environmental assessment be conducted f...

Sustainability assessment (SA) is a holistic and long-range strategic instrument capable of assisting policy-making in electing, and deciding upon, future development priorities. The outcomes of an SA process become more relevant and strengthened when conducted with multi-stakeholder engagement, which provides for multiple dialogues and perspective...

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) application to city development strategy (CDS) reveals the strategic nature of both instruments and their potential multiplier effect on enhancing synergies for sustainable development. The adequacy of the two strategic tools for a complementary approach to integration towards sustainable development raises...

BioScene (scenarios for reconciling biodiversity conservation with declining agriculture use in mountain areas in Europe) was a three-year project (2002–2005) funded by the European Union’s Fifth Framework Programme, and aimed to investigate the implications of agricultural restructuring and decline for biodiversity conservation in the mountain are...

The Lisbon airport has been operating in its current location since 1942. Built on the city outskirts, the airport was rapidly engulfed by urban expansion. The relocation of this infrastructure has been considered since 1969. With the first oil crisis and the Portuguese revolution of the 70's the process was put on hold. The issue was re-opened in...

The question of scale and data needs in SEA is explored, based on the assumption that SEA emerged to address multiple scales, larger perspectives and respond to new development paradigms, which determine new functions and expectations on SEA deliveries. Spatial and temporal scales in SEA are considered. This paper argues that other dimensions in te...

Over the years SEA has been subjected to several interpretations, often resulting from different views on democratic processes and social considerations in decision-making. More than strictly a technical tool, as in its original form, SEA has the potential to act as a mediating instrument, bridging problem perceptions with technical solutions, stee...

This article explores the concept of SEA follow-up, addressing first its complexity at the level of strategic decision-making. To deal with this complexity, a multi-track approach is proposed. This will allow for the use of those methods, moments and information that prove to be useful in a specific case. Some preliminary guidance is given on how t...

The main authors of five of the early guidance documents for how to implement the European Union Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive at regional and national level (those of England, Iceland, the Lombardia region of Italy, Portugal and Scotland) discuss the respective documents. They summarise the evolution of the five documents, then disc...

In recent years the urban question in the European Union has been a matter of deep focus and intensive debate, contributing to the European Community environmental, spatial and sustainability policies approach, however not entirely reflected in the current version of the 6th European Environmental Action Programme. The POLIS programme, initiated in...

Proceedings of the First Conference on Environmental Impact Assessment of Urban and Territorial Planning in Catalonia, held in Olot, 24-25 November 2000. This volume contains the papers presented at the first conference held in Catalonia to discuss the environmental impact assessment of urban and regional planning. There participated prominent repr...

Debate across the impact assessment community has been significantly influenced by the emergence of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the past few years. Although there are still difficulties regarding the understanding of its nature and technicalities, the need for it was acknowledged, and practice is taking place in diverse forms. Such...

The co-ordination of different sector policies with respect to sustainable development is one of the challenges of planning, and particularly of spatial planning. To fulfil this challenge successfully, spatial planning must ensure full integration and assessment of environmental, social and economic issues. Linking spatial planning with strategic e...

Many governments and environmental assessment (EA) administrators are currently showing great concern regarding the potential environmental consequences of decisions made at policy, planning, and programmatic levels. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is evolving as a mechanism that attempts to assess systematically the environmental impacts...

Resumen Se presenta el concepto de Evaluación Ambiental Estratégica (EAE) como un instrumento facilitador de decisiones de naturaleza estratégica, cuyo objetivo es asegurar la integración de las cuestiones ambientales en un contexto de sustentabilidad, con escalas abarcadoras y de largo plazo. Se hace referencia a su evolución, a las múltiples pers...

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is recognizably a sustainability instrument. Scholars worldwide have presented valid arguments that support the role that EIA can play to help setting transitioning processes towards sustainability. This paper attempts to demonstrate the contributions to sustainability that can be identified in EIA practice, wi...

Research 2002-2005 / Coordinator Mitchley J.