WOCAT is an international network of organizations and experts in Sustainable Land Management (SLM) coordinated jointly in the form of a consortium by the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Berne, the FAO and the Dutch based International Soil Research Institute (ISRIC). It runs what is today the most important tool for the compilation and the exchange of knowledge on SLM technologies and approaches. Its methodology was originally designed to focus mainly on soil erosion and fertility decline in erosion-prone areas. Nevertheless, over time other land degradation types were included. Today, WOCAT includes all aspects of sustainable land management: soil, water, vegetation and animals. Questionnaires and a database system have been developed to document all relevant aspects of SLM technologies and approaches, including area coverage. WOCAT results and outputs are accessible via the Internet, in the form of books and maps and on CD-ROM. Based on WOCAT an uncountable number of training activities are going on in many countries, most of them locally financed. Gender and governance parameters are integrated in the methodological tools. In the recent past much interest has emerged to use the WOCAT methodologies to assess the impact of land use change on the carbon cycle. Soil and vegetative carbon are important carbon sinks. The approaches and techniques described in WOCAT generally lead to increased soil carbon and vegetative cover. It therefore makes sense to use the instrument to assess the potential and limits of land use change for the mitigation of climate change.
The aim of WOCAT, as a network, is to increase the capacity and motivation of planners and decision makers as well as land users and agricultural advisors to enhance sustainable land nnanagement. WOCAT enhances the efficiency of efforts made in SLM and reduces the number of investment failures by providing knowledge support concerning the advantages and disadvantages of available alternatives, based on a wide range of experience in the field.
In the present phase the consolidation and broadening of WOCAT in developing countries is the central objective. The prospects are good. User-friendly applications for the documentation and compilation of data and the possibility for evaluation, local analysis and assistance from experienced WOCAT users make it highly attractive for local partners with limited resources to use WOCAT. FAO, the Global Environmental Fund and other key players are increasingly recognizing and using WOCAT. Countries like China and South Africa (along with many others) adopt WOCAT to document their experience. In Mongolia and Nepal important SDC financed programmes have decided to use WOCAT to document their experiences with land management. The database includes now 400 technologies (190 quality controlled) and 264 approaches (113 quality controlled) from 43 countries.The specific lines of action until 2012 are 1) Promotion of knowledge about Soils and Water Management (SWC) and Sustainable Land Management (SLM); 2) Constant improvement and broadening of WOCAT methods and tools; 3) Sharing of information 4) Training and education linked to WOCAT and 5) Maintenance of the global networking capacity.
WOCAT operates in a decentralised manner. Activities are carried out through initiatives at regional and national levels, with peer backstopping from experienced members of the consortium. The objectives and activities of the overall WOCAT programme are developed within the WOCAT consortium and are subject to the annual workshops and steering meetings.
