LADA-WOCAT QM
LADA-WOCAT QM is an evaluation tool for land degradation and the conservation activities undertaken in a country or provinces / regions within a country with added ability to link to a country-level LUS spatial database, thus allowing the production of thematic maps and area calculations on various aspects of land degradation and conservation.
The assessment is based on the participatory completion of a detailed and georeferenced questionnaire that pays attention to the state, causes and evolution of soil, water and biological characteristics. It also searches answers concerning direct and socio-economic causes of these phenomena including its impact on eco-system services. It evaluates in the form of a questionnaire (1) what type of land degradation is actually happening where and why, (2) what is done about it in terms of Sustainable Land Management (SLM), and (3) the success (or failure) of the management interventions. Linking the information obtained through the questionnaire to a Geographical Information System (GIS) permits the production of maps as well as area calculations on various aspects of land degradation and conservation. The database and mapped outputs provide a powerful tool to obtain an overview of land degradation and conservation in a district or a whole country.
The methodology makes extensive use of existing documents and maps (GIS layers, high resolution satellite images, socio-economic and land use data etc.) to construct a base map of land use systems in a country. The questionnaire itself is completed during workshops that bring together stakeholders, in particular land users, and a wide range of local technical experts. It focuses on:
(1) The types of land degradation (soil erosion by wind and water, chemical and physical soil degradation, water resource degradation, biological degradation) that are assessed for extent, degree and rate of change.
(2) Direct causes of land degradation (soil management, crop and rangeland management, deforestation, overgrazing, mining, urbanization, disturbance of the water cycle, natural causes) are described and rated.
(3) Indirect causes of land degradation (population pressure, consumption patterns, land tenure, poverty, labour (un)availability, war and civil unrest, lack of inputs and infrastructure, insufficient education and awareness, governance and prevailing policies) are identified and their influence rated.
(4) Impact on ecosystem services (productive services, ecological services, socio-cultural services) is assessed.
(5) Responses: land and water conservation and Sustainable Land Management (description and classification).
(6) Linking effect and success of responses with issues addressed and provision of recommendations.
The methodology has been tested in three large GEF-funded and FAO implemented projects covering more than twenty countries. It is also promoted by WOCAT.