WOCAT

Meet us at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia between August 17 and 28. As a global network dedicated to SLM, WOCAT will host side events and showcase evidence-based practices to support land restoration, soil health, gender-responsive SLM and community resilience worldwide. We look forward to engaging with partners, decision-makers, and practitioners throughout the conference. Stay tuned for more details!

Desertification and Drought Day 2026 invites us to

• Recognize rangelands’ economic contribution to national and regional economies, their role in sustaining biodiversity and wildlife and the multiple benefits they provide, from regulating water cycles to storing carbon
• Respect pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, whose mobility, customary governance systems and ecological knowledge are essential to maintaining the health and productivity of these landscapes
• Restore rangelands by investing in sustainable land and water management, strengthening governance, improving drought preparedness and supporting community-led restoration efforts

WOCAT calls for all that are commited to recognize, respect and restore rangelands, to 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 on rangelands restoration, to 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 and to 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 with your community.

The planet doesn’t argue. It doesn’t negotiate. It sends signals—rising seas, raging wildfires, heatwaves, melting glaciers. We said 1.5°C was the limit. We are crossing it. But listen closer now. Inspired by nature solutions are being implemented directly on the land. There is a database full of knowledge on land management practices that show how we can take care of the environment.

Together with the entire GEF partnership, WOCAT participates at the Global Forum for the GEF Integrated Programs to exchange experiences, share lessons, and strengthen collaboration around integrated programming. Together we will reflect on progress achieved, share innovations, challenges, and emerging good practices and identify insights to inform future GEF programming and investment strategies.

🗓️ Date: April 13-17, 2026 📍Nairobi, Kenya

Dive in and learn about WOCAT's new role as a Global Technical Adviser for the 2026 UNCCD reporting process, news from the global database, events and learning opportunities. Together we are continuing our work towards sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality!

This new documentation highlights a participatory habitat protection initiative designed to safeguard vital wetlands for the endangered white-naped crane in Mongolia's eastern steppe. By combining herder-led grazing agreements with youth Eco-Club monitoring, this community-driven approach reverses wetland degradation, improves livestock water access, and secures immediate crane breeding success. The documentation of this practice has been facilitated by WWF Mongolia, local government authorities, and the Ulz River Basin Administration.

This new documentation in the WOCAT database shows a water harvesting haffir designed to capture and store seasonal surface runoff from the Gu and Deyr rains for livestock, household use, and small-scale fodder production, while reducing soil erosion and enhancing drought resilience. The documentation of this practice has been facilitated by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Rural Development, Galmudug (MoECC)

This new documentation in the WOCAT database describes an earthen water harvesting structure designed to capture and store surface runoff from seasonal rainfall for domestic use, livestock watering, and small-scale irrigation of a nearby vegetable farm. The documentation of this practice has been facilitated by the Puntland Water Development Agency (PWDA)