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News > Newsletter > Newsletter Archive > Newsletter 12 | |
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View/download the WOCAT newsletter as pdf: WOCATEER16 (544 KB)
The WOCAT Newsletter is distributed by Email to those who are subscribed to the WOCAT-L mailing list (or as hard copy to those without Email). Le bulletin de WOCAT est distribué seulement en anglais pour l'instant, mais des sites Internet tels que http://babelfish.altavista.com ou http://www.google.com/language_tools offrent des moyens de le traduire qui sont assez utile. Le résultat n'est pas parfait, mais plus ou moins compréhensible. Por el momento el noticiario de WOCAT existe solamente en inglés, pero algunos sitios web como http://babelfish.altavista.com o http://www.google.com/language_tools. ofrecen buenas/aceptables facilidades de traducción. El resultado no es perfecto pero se puede comprender.
Announcement: WOCAT Symposium on Promoting Sustainable Land Management (SLM) WOCAT is pleased to announce a Symposium on ' Promoting Sustainable Land Management (SLM) for its Local and Global Impacts'. The Symposium will take place on Monday 20 October 2008, in Bern (Hotel Bern), Switzer-land. It will bring together various partners and donors, and those interested in SLM and natural resource manage-ment. International development and agricultural professionals and institutions as well as the public are invited. As the symposium will take place on the first day of the 13th WOCAT Annual Workshop and Steering Meeting, the main WOCAT partners will be present, thus offering an exceptional chance to meet and exchange experiences and visions. For further information and the registration form refer to Symposium 08. Announcement: 13th Annual WOCAT Workshop & Steering Meeting Since 1996, WOCAT has organised twelve Annual Workshops and Steering Meetings (known as WWSM) with the goal (a) to bring together the main collaborating and funding institutions and the core collaborators, (b) to assess the progress and to exchange experiences, (c) to further develop the programme and (d) to plan for the future and (e) to enhance WOCAT in the host country/region. As decided during the previous WWSM in the Philippines, the 13th Annual WOCAT Workshop and Steering Meeting will take place in Switzerland from 20 - 25 October 2008. The meeting will be hosted by the Centre for Development and Environment of the Institute of Geography , University of Bern , and of course home to the WOCAT Secretariat. The meeting will start in Bern with open symposium for WOCAT partners, donors and then move to another venue in Gwatt, near the charming city of Thun, close to the lakeside and to the heart of the Swiss Alps.
Invited for this meeting are those involved in the coordination of WOCAT activities at the global, regional or national level, and/or involved in any of the WOCAT Task Forces. NB: Sponsorship to participants for this meeting will be very limited and we do urge participants to find their own funding sources. Possible sponsoring will also depend on the number of activities deployed and the feedback provided to the WOCAT Secretariat since the previous WWSM.
News from National and Regional Initiatives
by Isabelle Providoli, Coordinator, HIMCAT 1. HIMCAT newsletter In spring 08 the HIMCAT network published the second newsletter on “Erosion control measures and activities”. A number of HIMCAT members from different climatic eco-regions stretching from Afghanistan, India , Nepal to Tibet ( China ) shared their experience on activities and technologies preventing, mitigating and/or curing soil erosion addressing a combination of vegetative, structural and agronomic measures. Furthermore, an interview with a HIMCAT member, Mr. Sudibya Kanti Khisa, from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh on soil erosion was included in the newsletter. To access the newsletter, login to the extranet http://www.himcat.icimod.org and click on the HIMCAT newsletter icon. 2. NEPCAT Fact Sheets: Natural Resource Management – approaches and technologies in Nepal We are pleased to announce that end of April, 08, the NEPCAT factsheets got published. On April 25 a fact sheet launching event was organized at ICIMOD HQ. In the NEPCAT publication, thirty technologies and approaches from the Nepal Conservation Approaches and Technologies (NEPCAT) database, documented using the WOCAT tool, have been published as printed fact sheets to facilitate sharing with a wider audience. The fact sheets are designed to support the efforts of rural development, especially in Nepal, and provide impetus and ideas for decision makers, development actors, and land users. They cover adaptations of methods and new options for land use and rehabilitation and growing and processing crops that increase productivity and support income generation. Users are encouraged to print out, copy, and distribute the sheets in any form that facilitates sharing. The sheets are also available on a CD-ROM and online. Please visit the following link: http://dev.icimod.org/elibrary/index.php/search/publication/518 .
A WOCAT module of 3 hours was held in ICIMOD's 2nd international training course on “Low Cost Soil and Water Conservation Techniques and Watershed Management Activities” which was conducted from 31 March 22 to April 2008 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The training was attended by 18 participants from 7 different countries. This included 5 from Afghanistan, 6 from Bhutan, 2 from China, 4. Up-coming WOCAT training This year several WOCAT trainings are planned in the HKH region. Beginning of August in Afghanistan, end of August in Bhutan and end of the year in North-east India.
BANCAT (Bangladesh) by Sudibya Kanti Khisa, Coordinator, BANCAT 1. Popularization of WOCAT and BANCAT - Following the work-plan of BANCAT from December, 2007 to November, 2008 that was presented at 12 th WWSM in the Philippines, the Coordinator of BANCAT pushed the inclusion of WOCAT Tools in the workshop organized by ICIMOD in December 2007 on “Developing Training framework on Participatory Integrated Watershed Management” where 17 `regional experts, including one from Bangladesh, participated in the workshop. The expert consultation workshop drafted a training framework on “Participatory Integrated Watershed Management”, which recognized 8 different training modules, different sessions within the modules, and content within each session. The training was designed for 11 days with 44 session altogether covering 21 lecture sessions, 6 experience sharing sessions, 7 group works, 7 practical and field work sessions and 3 sessions for opening and closing. WOCAT Tools were included in the draft training framework when the BANCAT participant with the support from HIMCAT members pushed forward the idea of usefulness of WOCAT tools and its inclusion in session 11 of Module 3 and session 20 of Module 5. - The Coordinator and the Database Manager of BANCAT presented the WOCAT tools in the “Training Workshop on Degradation of Upland Watershed of Bangladesh” from 22 to 24 January, 2008 organized and invited by the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University (IFESCU) in collaboration with USAID, where 25 academicians, researchers as well as managers and planners from the different government and non-government organizations of Bangladesh participated.. The title of the BANCAT presentation was “Assessment of Watershed Management Technologies and Approaches by Using WOCAT Tools.” 2. Documentation of CATs from different Agroecological Zones(AEZ) of Bangladesh BANCAT signed an agreement with ICIMOD on 19 th May, 2008 for receiving a grant of US$ 4000 for professional capacity building of post-graduate students from Bangladesh in the assessment and documentation of SLM technologies and Approaches from different AEZs using WOCAT Tools. BANCAT WG members are thankful to Dr. Isabelle, Dr.Eklabya Sharma and Dr.Andreas Schild (Director ICIMOD) for providing support to BANCAT. In the meantime, BANCAT Coordinator and the Database Manager held discussions with the Teachers of IFESCU, Department of Soil, Water and Environment of Dhaka University (DU), Institute of Development Studies of DU, Forestry and Wood Science Department of Khulna University, Agro-forestry Department of Shahjala University of Science and Technology and Department of Geography and Environment of Jahangir Nagar University. Selections of students including the case-study proposals of CATs by their supervising teachers are now in the process of finalization by the above mentioned universities. Documented CATs by the students will be peer reviewed by BANCAT WG members and sent to HIMCAT for publication at ICIMOD's costs. 3. Updating BANCAT website The BANCAT website is being updated as per work-plan
NIGCAT ( NIGERIA ) by Ikponke Nkanta 1. Introduction of WOCAT to more institutions: WOCAT has been introduced to more institutions in Nigeria (and few institutions outside Nigeria).There is hope that some institutions in Nigeria will adopt WOCAT tools, e.g the Ministry of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Akwa Ibom State has shown much interest in adopting WOCAT as a tools for data documenting, analysis and evaluation with respects to Soil Water/Land Conservation in the state. 2. Data collection More QTs have been identified and are in documentation process. Identification and documentation of data seems easier and more interesting than before, after attending the WOCAT Workshop/ Steering meeting . 3. Overview Book Effort are made towards producing an overview book for case studies (technologies/approaches) documented in Nigeria and it is hoped that a draft of it shall be presented during the WOCAT Workshop & Steering Meeting in Switzerland (October 2008). 4. Contribution towards proposed West Africa WOCAT initiative. NIGCAT has made some contributions towards the proposed West Africa WOCAT initiative. Contacts have been made with some researchers in the region and likely the focal point will be in Niger . NIGCAT also assisted in establishing the newly WOCAT initiative in Ghana (GHANCAT) by providing the host organisation with the guidelines for preparing a proposal for the Initiative and also by educating the organisation more about WOCAT. NIGCAT has further made an attempt to encourage revival of WOCAT activities in Cameroon by trying to create a contact/link with the former WOCAT contact in their Region.
By Ermek Baibagyshov Concerning the activities of Public Foundation “ CAMP Alatoo ” in the context of Soil- and Water Conservation the following activities can be reported:
News from Task Forces TF Mapping During the last WWSM in the Philippines several Task Forces were formed or re-formed (see WWSM12 Proceedings p. 91 onwards) . Below is a brief account on the progress since the WWSM for some of them.
The main focus of the Mapping Task Force is the utilization/ development of on-line (internet based) mapping tools to capture and view information regarding land degradation as well as soil and water conservation. This approach poses a few challenges to all role players involved in the development of the systems. One of the main challenges is the fact that the developing and hosting responsibilities are shared between different institutions. This necessitates the synchronization of all software and hardware before developments can commence. The main activities for the mapping taskforce for 2007/08 include the following:
The development of the online data management system has been completed and Wolfgang Prante requested members of the taskforce to test the system on the Geonetwork system. A test map of Tunisia has been loaded onto the system and by using the identify button the link to the WOCAT QM can be established. This system has been tested and works – minor adjustments are currently being sorted out. The development of an of-line data capturing tool is currently being investigated. The development of the on-line map viewer commenced with the testing of the ARCGIS Server/Informix/ArcSDE environment. The South African Land Use System Map, in raster, format is used to develop and test the system. The first phase of the map viewer has been completed and will be tested by all role-players as soon as possible. In the previous Newsletter reference was made to WOCAT in Google Earth . Meanwhile some corrections have been made to a number of (Ethiopian) placemarks (thanks to Hans Hurni for these corrections!). We kindly request you to check locations and descriptions of case studies in areas you know and report any mistakes to us! A “Network link” to the WOCASES.kmz file on a central server has been created. Once this kmz.file has been downloaded on a computer (and saved in “My Places” in Google Earth), any subsequent changes to the WOCAT placemarks by the moderator will be reflected in your Google Earth. The same file (with the network link) has also been re-posted to Google Earth Community. So far the WOCAT case studies were visible in Google Earth Community (i.e. even without downloading the kmz file mentioned above), but unfortunately with some loss of customised icons that are described in the previous Newsletter or on the Google Earth page of the WOCAT Website. TF Digital Products by Wolfgang Prante, Christine Hauert. Taskforce members: Wolfgang Prante , Carin Pretorius, Gudrun Schwilch, Rinda van der Merwe - Pienaar, Dirk Pretorius, Godert van Lynden, Jeremiah Lewis Njeru, Christine Hauert. A new WOCAT address database is ready to use and accessible on-line . The idea of the new WOCAT online address database is to allow users to self-manage their contact information. Please check in the ‘ user-list ' whether you are already registered. If this is the case you can request the password with the button 'forgot password'. If you are not yet registered in the WOCAT address database you can register for an account . Please do only register for a new account if you are not yet included in the database. If you have any problems with registration or accessing the database you can contact wocatonline@cde.unibe.ch .
The address database is the first pillar of the ongoing efforts in developing new on-line databases and tools. Following projects are the database for Technologies and Approaches. Once the online QA has been tested successfully, additional funds will have to be identified and the programming of QT will have to be contracted out. The beta testing version of the QM Online data management system has been completed and is now being further tested by a limited number of people in order to identify remaining problems and areas of last-minute improvements (see above).
by Gudrun Schwilch. Taskforce members: Gudrun Schwilch, Nestor Garcia, Lydia Bosoga, Miodrag Zlatic, Jeremiah Lewis Njeru, Yuji Niino, Isabelle Providoli, Romy Labios, (Raghu Prasad, Syaiful Anwar, Charlton Phiri) Intermediate progress report June 2008 The achievements in the development of a Decision Support Tool for WOCAT were so far related to the development within the EU – project DESIRE . Based on the preliminary version presented during the WWSM in the Philippines and the selection of the OpenSource software ‘Facilitator', the following activities were carried out: 1. Incorporation of ‘search by key questions' in the WOCAT technologies database (after the Access version has been adapted to the new QT Basic) The Decision Support Tool is based on the following principles: The steps conducted during the stakeholder workshop are: Step 1: Review and adjustment of objectives These steps are tailored to the DESIRE project and follow a first stakeholder workshop and the assessment thereafter of local technologies and approaches. In a next step, the methodology needs to be adapted to a more general use in WOCAT.
TF Impact Monitoring By Ermek Baibagyshov . Taskforce members: Aida Gareeva , Ermek Baibagyshov, Hanspeter Liniger, Jesus Javier, Mandakh Nyamtseren, Niranjan Sahu, Digna Manzalia, (Azhar Yeszhanova, Wilfred Mariki, Cai Jian-qin, Feng Wei, Yaolin Wang, Charlton Phiri, Munawar Khan). Until now we only screened the WOCAT questionnaires and developed a list of draft indicators for land users. The final version of indicators for impact monitoring will be ready in September. Other Projects LADA By Godert van Lynden The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and co-financing partners funded the Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands ( LADA ) project that is implemented by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The development of validated standard methods and tools for assessing land degradation at local, national as well as global levels, is being implemented in six countries that cover a large share of the worlds' drylands - Argentina , China, Cuba, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. At the global level, the LADA project, in partnership with ISRIC - World Soil Information foundation, has just produced a global map of land degradation and improvement (“ GLADA ”) based on more than 20 years of satellite vegetation data and rainfall records. The study, which is based on analysis of NDVI, Rain Use Efficiency and Net Primary Productivity, as well as the RESTREND model, has been carried out during the period 2006-8 with inputs from several research institutions around the world. Preliminary findings with new information and projections on the status and trends of the world land resources and land use, show that, despite increased attention by the 193 Country Parties that have ratified the United Nations Conference to Combat Degradation (1994), land degradation is continuing and increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world. Further field validation and specification of the degradation types and intensity is needed and planned. The WOCAT mapping method (QM) has been adopted for the national assessment of degradation and conservation in the 6 LADA pilot countries. LADA and WOCAT have collaborated in the past year to revise the mapping method (QM) with a different mapping base (so-called Land Use Systems, according to the method developed by FAO) and more emphasis on the impact on Ecosystems. The revised method was tested in S. Africa , October 2007. Meanwhile the database is also undergoing a major make-over, most importantly moving from an off-line system based on MS Access and MapObjects towards a more dynamic on-line system where contributors will be able to fill their data directly in the central database. A few LADA countries have already started this exercise or are about to do so. Both the GLADA and WOCAT/LADA mapping methods will also be applied to provide a broad overview and more detailed study site coverage respectively of degradation and conservation for the 18 DESIRE study sites (see below).
DESIRE By Nichola Geeson, Rudi Hessel The DESIRE Integrated Project, addressing land degradation and desertification problems in 18 study sites around the world, is midway through the second year of five. The main aim of the project is to test methods to identify and evaluate suitable remedial and conservation measures, and share the findings through a Harmonised Information System. The main results of the first project year (2007) were as follows: • A literature review about desertification problems in the Mediterranean was written
Current DESIRE tasks include developing base map units for the mapping exercise and to assess suitable approaches for choosing new measures to conserve the soil and combat desertification in the study sites. Workshops with stakeholders are ensuring that local knowledge is integrated into scientific solutions. A second plenary meeting was held in January on Santiago Island , Cape Verde . After welcome words by the minister of Environment and Agriculture and by other officials, study site coordinators gave presentations about the work that has been done so far. Main problems encountered and possible solutions were also identified. These presentations showed that progress has been made in all sites, although in different degrees. While some sites have mainly assembled existing information, and given feedback on questionnaires from WB leaders, others have already started working with the stakeholders, or are already monitoring degradation. Some have also translated project documents and posters/leaflets in their own language (for use with the stakeholders), or have contacted the press to make the DESIRE project more widely known within their own region. The next day was dedicated to progress reporting from the different Working Blocks and their plans for the next 18 months. From these presentations it is clear that a lot of work is expected from the Study Sites – and sometimes all at the same time, so this needs to be streamlined. During the field trip the variety in the landscape and environmental circumstances of the Santiago island became very clear. Rainfall is barely 100mm per year. The arid hillsides are terraced wherever possible, to grow maize, and then beans supported on the maize stalks, as staple foods for the islanders. Recently the growing tourism industry has increased pressures on water supplies. The Minister of Environment & Agriculture already explained how they are trying to integrate environmental policies, to minimise run-off and soil erosion when heavy rainfall does occur, and to persuade the private sector to take some responsibility for natural resources. A large part of the morning was spent in the study area, the so-called ‘Ribeira Seca' catchment. Several stops included the upper part of the catchment, which has been reforested with a.o. Eucalyptus, and were there is also a lot of agriculture (mainly maize and beans). Erosion plots and a flume in the middle part of the catchment were visited, as well as the INIDA headquarters, which are also located within the catchment. Close to INIDA, a viewpoint allowed good views over the middle part of the catchment, including cropland terraces and reforestation. Finally, a recently constructed dam with a reservoir was visited. The excursion therefore gave a good overview of the area, showing the problems of desertification that occur here. The excursion also made clear that the Cape Verdians are already doing a lot against degradation, e.g. through the use of various soil and water conservation measures. Nevertheless, growing sufficient food is a constant challenge, as food security can only be achieved by using conservation measures; without these, yields cannot be guaranteed. The Cape Verdian hosts put a lot of work in organizing this special day and it was greatly appreciated by all the participants. The meeting was concluded with explanations and discussions on project administrative and management issues. More information on DESIRE can be found on the website ( www.desire-project.eu ) .
Publications WOCAT Overview books and Fact sheets In the past few years several books have been published containing an overview of WOCAT case studies, like the recent NEPCAT publication mentioned in the HIMCAT section above. Below is an overview of recent WOCAT publications: • S. Africa (2004): one-page loose-leaf fact sheets of ± 100 case studies throughout S. Africa . • Central Asia - CAMP (2005): 44 case studies presented in posters, publishing of book including the posters: 2006? • Bangladesh (2006): A5 booklet of 30 Technologies and 9 Approaches in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. • Eritrea (2006): “Land Management in the Central Highlands of Eritrea ”, 23 measures are documented in a 2 page fact sheet format based on QT and QA. • WOCAT Overview book “where the land is greener” (2007) : 42 Technologies and 28 Approaches from all over the world -a selection from the global database with 248 Ts and 143 approaches. • NEPCAT fact sheets (2008): 21 Ts and 9 As from Nepal (in “where the land is greener format”). • EthiOCAT-book with 33 Technologies and 7 Approaches from Ethiopia , based on the professional (full) questionnaires. To be released probably in autumn 2008. See also WWSM12 Proceedings p. 48. • China : through GEF–OP12 programme in China : the 4 page summary format was used to collect 49 Technologies, 40 Approaches for the Loess Plateau. A book will be compiled based on (a selection of) these technologies and approaches (See also WWSM12 Proceedings p. 50). • Other ongoing activities: Tajikistan : 2 page fact sheets based on WOCAT questionnaires.
By Eelko Bergsma , Abbas Farshad We like to inform you of the publication of the article “Monitoring erosion using microtopographic features”. The article describes a way of evaluating land use types and conservation practices for their effect against erosion. A summary of the article is attached. The article is included as chapter 14 in the book “Monitoring and Evaluation of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development Projects” by Jan de Graaff, Samran Sombatpanit & co-authors (2007). This publication was initiated by the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWC). Would you like to receive, free of charge, a reprint of the article or the article in digital form, please let us know. And inform us of the postal address, if required. There is also a DVD of 20 minutes (produced in 2004) that discusses and shows the microtopographic features as they appear in the field during a rain shower. This video can be used in education, research and consulting. Summary of the article: Rain erosion induced micro-topographic features can be grouped into seven types: original or resistant clods, eroding clods, flow paths, pre-rills, rills, depressions and the protection by basal cover. The features represent the erosion that has occurred in a period previous to observation. Features are recorded per 25 cm on lines of 12.5 m along the contour. An indicator of erosion intensity can be derived from the erosion feature distribution. The indicator is calculated as the percentage of eroded clods plus two times the percentage pre-rill plus rill area. It shows significant to highly significant correlation with measured soil loss. This opens the possibility of evaluating erosion under different cropping systems and conservation practices. The method can be used to monitor the development of erosion during a rain shower, a rainy season or a series of years, by recording the presence of the features at time intervals. Case studies in Colombia , Nepal , Tanzania and Thailand demonstrate the use of the micro-topographic features for monitoring erosion intensity, locally comparing land use systems.
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© WOCAT (2008) | Last update: 7 November 2008 |
