Component IV of CODEP ensures access to relevant knowledge about desertification in the region and worldwide and makes locally gained knowledge and successful technologies and approaches available for further replication in the country.

Within this aim CODEP is organising a Technical meeting and a vocational training on introducing a mapping tool, which is initiated by WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Technologies and Approaches) to evaluate what type of land degradation is actually happening where and why and what is done about it in terms of SLM.

Objectives are:

- Introduce to international partners, relevant projects and institutions the Desertification Study Center (DSC), and its official mandate from CODEP to combat desertification

- Introduce WOCAT and its tools that allow Sustainable Land Management (SLM) specialists to share their valuable knowledge in soil and water management, that assist them in their search for appropriate SLM technologies and approaches, and that support them in making decisions in the field and at the planning level.

- Introduce and provide a short training on the WOCAT/LADA mapping tool for assessing degradation and conservation at a national level and for obtaining an overview of land degradation and conservation in a country, a region, or world-wide.

Attendants of the training are experts and research workers from relevant Ministries and Implementing Agencies and representatives of like-minded international projects and programmes.

Training will be held on 09 September and is jointly organized with Desertification Research Centre of Geo-ecological Institute of Mongolian Academy of Science and the Centre for Development and Environment of University of Bern in Switzerland.

What is WOCAT?

WOCAT is a tool for documenting and evaluating SWC activities. Collection of information involves personal contact and sharing of knowledge between land users and SWC specialists.

Each type of documented experience derived directly from the field increases the knowledge base with actual rather than theoretical experience. This valuable knowledge needs to be safeguarded for the future to promote better decision-making.

WOCAT also contributes to the implementation of United Nations Conventions, such as the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD).

WOCAT focuses on making better use of scarce resources with the aim of promoting sustainable land management. In many parts of both industrialized and developing countries, soils are not managed in a sustainable manner. Moreover, the majority of people in developing countries are directly dependent on land resources. Maintaining or improving the quality of these resources is thus an important step towards improvement of rural livelihood and poverty alleviation, and finally, towards more sustainable development.

WOCAT activities in Mongolia in 2009

The WOCAT concept and methodology is introduced by Coping with Desertification project funded by SDC and well accepted by Desertification Study Centre of Geo-Ecology Institute, and seen as important tool that could be applied in Mongolia for compiling existing technologies and shared through worldwide database, which WOCAT maintains. Staffs of DSC are well trained of WOCAT tools and focal point of WOCAT person has been appointed by the Institute.

WOCAT basic questionnaires on Technology and Approach were translated into Mongolian language and successfully compiled a total of 19 technologies for grazing land experiences, agronomic, structural and management type including technologies which were applied by UNDP Sustainable Grassland Management Project, are documented together with experts. Inventory list of technologies is drafted.

Activities in general

• Introduction of WOCAT training to DSC staff, by CODEP

• Training on WOCAT, International backstopping, CDE

• Training to data collectors in 3 Gobi aimags, DSC

• Translation of Ts and As into Mongolian language

• Documentation of 19 technologies

• Translation of the database into Mongolian language

• 4 pages of summary of 19 technologies be ready to represented in the Science exhibition in November

• Students practical work (3 students trained on WOCAT questionnaires and filled out 5 technologies in Khovd aimag)