From the WOCAT team we wish you happy holidays and look forward to our continued collaboration in the new year!

25 participants representing national institutions, local government and private sector, attended a national workshop in Turkey, in the context of the GEF funded FAO project “Decision Support for Scaling up and Mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management (DS-SLM)”, organized in partnership with the General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs (CEM), the implementing partner of the DS-SLM project in Turkey. Workshop participants were introduced to the WOCAT methodology for assessing and documenting SLM Practices and had the opportunity to improve their knowledge on the WOCAT tools (QT/QA) and on how to use these to address land degradation. The field visit took them to the Karaman area where the government supports private sector initiatives to restore degraded land facing problems with salinization and wind erosion.

Within the framework of the GEF/FAO project 'Decision Support for mainstreaming and scaling up SLM (DS-SLM)', 18 participants from six organizations met in Barisal for a training on documentation of SLM technologies and approaches using WOCAT tools on Nov. 24-26. Through this training the collaboration among different institutions was strengthened as well as the capacities to prepare technical specifications and document SLM.

In Laos, the WOCAT team is preparing the selection of the demonstration sites after the completion of the Decision Support workshops within the scaling up SLM for smallholder farmers project funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Field visits to Darkchueng and Ta oy districts are on-going to discuss the results and prepare the implementation.

The Science-Policy Interface (SPI) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) invites interested person to participate in a survey on the potential contribution of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) to enhancing the well-being and livelihoods of people as well as the state of the environment.

Presentation of the FAO-WOCAT decision support framework for SLM mainstreaming and scaling out and country experiences at the workshop "Support for Sustainable Land and Soil Management in North African Countries" in Tunisia from the 13-15 November, organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In the context of the harmonization of the Carbon Benefit tool and the Global SLM Database, a new edition of the questionnaire for Technologies has been launched and is now available in the WOCAT media library. Please only use this edition for your documentation of SLM Technologies.

WOCAT Director Hanspeter Liniger and Claudio Zucca from ICARDA presented with JRC scientists in Brussels the 3rd edition of the World Atlas of Desertification (WAD) to Brussels-based political stakeholders.

FAO and the WOCAT will present the Decision Support Framework developed within the GEF/FAO project ‘decision support for mainstreaming and scaling out SLM (DS-SLM)’ which provides guidance to countries on scaling up SLM. Representatives from three to four project countries (tentatively Philippines, Colombia, Morocco, and Uzbekistan) and partners will showcase their experiences and processes established for mainstreaming and scaling out SLM in specific landscapes.

The GIZ programme 'Soil protection and rehabilitation for food security', in collaboration with University of Leeds and ICRISAT has developed the new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) 'Land Matters! Integrating soil degradation concerns and solutions into policy processes'.