Mauritius: Strategic Environmental Assessment on the sugar cane sector

A growing number of countries at all levels of development have legislation or regulations prescribing the application of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) - and many more are introducing it as part of their policy tools. This is creating unique opportunities for better policy making and planning by incorporating environmental considerations into high-level decision-making and opening new mechanisms to build consensus on development priorities within governments themselves and between governments and societies.

In Mauritius, the sugar sector makes an important contribution to the economy and international trade. At the same time, this sector can harm the natural environment if inappropriately managed. In order to ensure environmental integrity, an SEA was conducted on the Multi-Annual Adaptation Strategy of the sugar cane sector. Although the SEA concluded that the strategy will make a positive contribution to the environment, some risks were also identified. The results provided critical information for decision-makers in Mauritius and donor agencies to minimise environmental risks.