Climate change and Sustainable Land Management (SLM)

WOCAT has prepared a doucment on SLM adaptation to climate change. Here a short summary of the basic statement:

WOCAT's view on adaptation to climate change
WOCAT recognizes and acknowledges the challenge and importance to adapt to climate change.
• focus on existing sustainable land use practices under a changing natural and human environment
• identify well-proven and successful land use systems and innovations and their potential to adapt to climate change
• Adaptation depends on suitable SLM technology and an approach.
• Climate change affects local and global society as a whole which again has implications on land use

How to assess tolerance / adaptability of land use to climate change
(1) For a specific region, climate change scenarios need to be known (Input of climate change experts)
(2) Through the comprehensive appraisal of different land use practices and SLM technologies and approaches as well as the considerable experience of local SLM specialists, the tolerance / sensitivity of an implemented practice towards a changing natural and human environment can be assessed.

What can WOCAT offer
WOCAT can offer a basket of SLM options (technologies and approaches) that work under specific or under a range of conditions; they are documented in the database.
WOCAT has an established network of SLM specialists and organizations / institutions, which allows the sharing and exchange of experience.
Apart from case studies on SLM, a comprehensive WOCAT mapping methodology can be used to assess current practices as well as their impact on ecosystem services and human-wellbeing.

What WOCAT cannot provide, is to give the ultimate solution, it always depends on the specific situation and the priorities of those implementing it. But what it provides is a more informed decision making and the use of the wealth of untapped knowledge.

What is needed?
A well populated database on SLM Technologies and Approaches (full and ‘complete' basket of options) covering the wide variety of geographic areas, land forms, climate zones etc... In order to do so, a major global effort is needed involving projects, government and NGOs involved in SLM to document and evaluate their experiences and provide their knowledge to a common database and to provide easy access to this wealth of knowledge.
Decision support tools are needed to assist in the use of this knowledge: data analysis, selection and evaluation of ‘viable' options, selection of criteria for improved decision making. Special attention needs to be given to the sensitivity towards climate change and to ongoing adaptations/innovations to climate change.