SWAMP: A knowledge‐based system for the dissemination of sustainable development expertise to the developing world

Abstract

Population and economic pressures necessitate the development of productive yet fragile wetland areas in some tropical developing countries. Owing largely to these same social and economic pressures, expertise for the design and implementation of sustainable development strategies is often limited in developing countries. Considerable relevant knowledge and experience exist in Europe and North America. Resource constraints limit the availability of this expertise in areas of need in the developing world, despite various international commitments to such cooperation. Knowledge‐based systems technology is well suited for the transfer of expertise from specialists to non‐specialist users. It may therefore represent a cost‐effective solution for developed nations to honour their commitments to assist developing nations. SWAMP (Sustainable Wetland Areas Management Project) has been developed to support the National Wetlands Conservation and Management Programme in Uganda. Its purpose is to select appropriate combinations of sustainable uses for wetlands which may be under pressure for development to supply food, tradeable products, or other resources. SWAMP has the capability to be extended to tropical wetlands in general. In principle, SWAMP's architecture is equally applicable for supporting similar sustainable development initiatives in other types of ecosystem. Copyright © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd