The achievement of sustainable development demands a close integration between
environment and development. The evidence is that in developing countries (Egypt, as an
example) the gap between the need for environmental protection and development processes is
widening rather than closing. Intensive research programmes are needed, for instance in the
field of sustainable development and environmental management, to narrow that gap. Despite
the fact that Egypt has achieved considerable progress in environmental management, in
particular in establishing an EIA system as a management tool for achieving acceptable forms of
environmentally sound development and sustainability; it is argued that there are various EIA
constraints. It is also noted that the natural environment in Egypt has continued to be heavily
degraded. Therefore, this paper advocates the adoption of strategic environmental assessment
as a means of achieving sustainable development in planning practice. SEA is considered to be
the machinery for achieving close integration between the environment and development
processes in Egypt. This paper mainly aims at investigating the Egyptian environmental context
to reveal the potential for SEA to be introduced in environmental management to achieve more
sustainable development.