Before browsing the contents of PEARL, it is important to understand the underlying conceptual model of the system. The model illustrated above is a hierarchical one whereby a lead institution (or institutions) is responsible for driving and managing an overall assessment process which in turn is comprised of one or more sub-processes under which individual assessments are undertaken, ultimately producing various published outputs. Published outputs are usually the main assessment report and a number of related reports such as executive summaries, technical studies, data compendia and policy-relevant findings.
Two key purposes of national State of the Environment (SOE) assessment-based reports are to foster the use of science in policy - and decision-making and to fulfill a government's obligation to the public to report on the state of their environment. This obligation is often incorporated in national legislation, as well as in international agreements such as the Aarhus Convention. Click here for an overview of national mandates governing Environmental Assessment and Reporting can also be viewed at    http://www.unep.org/Pearl/Browse/Pearl_SOE_Overview.doc
The entry point for Browsing is at the Assessment Process Level
Browse Assessment Landscape by Geographical Scope Browse Assessment Landscape by Country Browse Summary of SOE Reporting by Country