Selection of relevant MEAs and (sub-)national legislation
The first five steps of the ten step process are classified as preparatory. They provide a conclusive body of research in order to facilitate analysis of the impact of large-scale protected areas on the implementation of MEAs. Steps here include the selection of the relevant international and regional MEAs and the identification of the relevant national legal institutions, including administrative regulations at lower geographic levels. Strict criteria are applied to the selection process such as validity and regional coverage of the respective convention, and in the case of the Thaya Valley National Park certain conventions such as the Alpine Convention and the Ramsar Convention were not included due to the criteria and geographic location of the national park.
• Careful consideration of the protected area’s criteria must be adhered to, to ensure that the most applicable conventions are chosen. • In the case of the Thaya Valley National Park, certain legislation and administrative regulations were included to provide the legal framework for the national park, while others which were not as relevant were excluded. • Workshops with in-depth interviews of park employees facilitated the drafting of Tables of Concordance (ToCs)
• Selection of right conventions is crucial for the subsequent steps. • Preparation of tables of concordance should not exclude any norm that could be addressed by the PA (these tables contain the relevant MEA-norms which are assessed upon their extent of national implementation).