Results of the first round of questionnaire survey among representatives
of government agencies subject to SEA implementation, academic
institutions,NGOs, and consulting companies showed that their hierarchy
of problemperception about SEA implementation puts premiumon issues
of legislation, clear linkage to planning process, data, and public
participation. These are strongly acknowledged as the most important
supporting factors necessary for SEA integration with planning. These
‘tangible’ factors scored highest in more than 74% of respondents.
‘Intangible’ factors such as knowledge and learning were perceived as
less important, with scores less than 44% of respondents. Difference
between the scores of ‘tangible’ factors supporting the implementation of
the SEA process and the ‘intangible’ factors supporting the capacity
building of the implementer reflects these practitioners' immediate
concern about how to conduct SEA rather than how well it should be
conducted. Among the key issues, legal basis has the highest score, 84%,
which reflected its perceived importance to stakeholders in the success of
SEA implementation.