Steps in the process

There are 2 key steps in this process:

Step 1: Identification of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of each priority transboundary problem

This step can successfully be accomplished through a collaborative workshop involving the TDA Development team, which can be run during the same workshopthat the transboundary problems are identified and prioritised.

Step 2: Qualitative or quantitative description of key environmental and socio-economic impacts

The purpose of this step is to describe the problem itself (using available survey data showing changes over time, etc.) and the impact of the problem on the environment and socio-economically.

There are a number of options for undertaking this step. These include:

• Use of simple lists of the identified impacts, based on the output from step 1. An example of this approach is the Dnipro River Basin TDA
• Detailed supporting text for each impact, including maps, graphics and figures. An example of this is the Orange-Senqu River Basin TDA. The development of national or thematic (synthesis) reports on impacts could support this.
• The development of a robust set of relevant indicators for which data is available, including baseline data, showing changes over time. An example of this is the 2012 Kura-Aras TDA.

All these options are valid and will depend on the level of data and information available.  However, in all cases, the information gathered should concentrate on the transboundary impacts although national or localised impacts can also be described if they are relevant.