WOCAT: Information Management and Decision Support for Soil and Water Conservation (SWC)

WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) is a global network of institutions  which are collaborating since 1992 to compile and standarde information through collecting, describing, and making available information on technologies, approaches and area coverage of successful examples of soil and water conservation world-wide. This paper describes the information management, methodology and organisational set-up of WOCAT and some experiences relating to the African mountains and highlands. It invites specialists and institutions to join the programme and to share their knowledge in sustainable land management with the other WOCAT participants. Benefits for doing so are multiple and mutual, and the chances to reduce  problems and pitfalls in achieving better land management systems through the improved WOCAT decision support are manifold.