Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka

A Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System

Nalaka Geekiyanage, M.H.J.P. Gunarathna, Manjula Ranagalage, Guttila Yugantha Jayasinghe, Muditha Prasannajith Perera, Meththika Vithanage

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040329375
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Agriculture
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The Tank Cascade System (TCS) of Sri Lanka is a connected series of tanks organized within a micro-catchment of a dry zone landscape for storing, conveying, and utilizing water from a temporary stream. FAO and the UN internationally recognize it as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System for food security and sustainable development in a changing climate. This edited volume offers comprehensive and holistic coverage of the entire scope of cascade systems including their origins, governance, and integration with agriculture, biodiversity, cultural linkages, associated livelihoods, degradation causes, restoration efforts, gender perspectives, and disaster resilience.

Features:

• Provides comprehensive coverage of the evolution of the Tank Cascade Systems over two millennia in Sri Lanka.
• Offers a holistic understanding of multifaceted dimensions of TCS from ecological importance to economic potential and offers a well-defined roadmap towards securing sustainable TCS.
• Addresses critical challenges of water quality, deterioration and prevalence of human health issues, human-wildlife conflicts, and land degradation.
• Discusses perspectives of restoring significant agricultural heritage systems around the globe for solving environmental and agricultural problems.
• Includes practical case studies with replicable models for integrated landscape management and livelihood enhancement.
• Outlines strategic approaches to sustainable management, encompassing ecosystem restoration, resilience against disasters, and gender-inclusive strategies.

This book is for researchers, academics, graduate, and senior undergraduate students in agriculture, environmental science, ecology, and soil science, and those interested in water conservation and sustainability in tropical landscapes. It also serves as an insightful reference for industry and government professionals, and human rights activists.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Editors
• List of Contributors
• 1 Executive Summary for Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka: A Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System
• Section I Background
• 2 Evolution of Village Tanks to Tank Cascade Systems: An Archaeological and Historical Investigation
• 3 Tanks and Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka: Concepts, Components, and Complexity
• 4 Hydrology and Water Management in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• 5 Preserving Cultural Riches: The Fading Ritual Legacy of Sri Lanka’s Tank Cascade Systems
• 6 The Economic Value of Ecosystem Services Arising from Tank Cascade Systems
• 7 Biodiversity of Kala Oya Cascade System
• 8 Ecological and Evolutionary Affinities of Avifauna in the Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• Section II Sustainable Utilization
• 9 Knowledge and Wisdom of Farmers in Tropical Agricultural Systems: Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• 10 Legacy of Animal Agriculture in Tank Cascade Systems
• 11 Culture-Based Fisheries in Tank Cascade Systems for Food Systems and Livelihoods
• 12 Ornamental Aquatic Flora in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka: An Unexploited Treasure Trove
• 13 Promise of Community-Based Agro-Ecotourism in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• Section III Issues and Challenges
• 14 Irrigation Water Quality Management in Tank Cascade Systems
• 15 Moving Beyond Deterrence: Socio-Economic Factors Driving Bio-Fence Adoption Among Dry Zone Farmers to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict
• 16 Tackling Issues of Soil Erosion and Sedimentation in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• 17 Spatiotemporal Changes of Forest Degradation in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• 18 Characterization of Property Rights for Open Access Resources in Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka
• 19 Degradation of Tank Cascade Systems: Colonial Period to the Present Day
• 20 Managing Invasive Alien Plants in Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka
• Section IV Sustainable Management
• 21 Ecological Restoration of Sri Lanka’s Tank Cascade Systems
• 22 Nexus of Food Security and Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka
• 23 Building Resilience to Climate Change Impacts on Tank Cascade Systems-Livelihoods-Environment Nexus: A Synergic Management Approach
• 24 Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka and Human Health Implications
• 25 Tank Cascade Systems and Disaster Resilience: An Integrated Approach
• 26 Gender Perspective on Participatory Management of Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka
• 27 Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Agricultural Water Management: An Example of Sri Lanka’s Tank Cascade Systems
• 28 Governance of Village Tank Cascade System Restoration: Role of Watershed Scale Coordinating Mechanisms for Aligning Interests and Services
• Section V Case Studies
• 29 Significance and Conservation Strategies for Thaulla of Ancient Tanks in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
• 30 Cyrtobagous salviniae for Bio-Controlling Salvinia molesta in Tank Cascade Systems of Medawachchiya in North Central Sri Lanka
• 31 A Case Study on Eco-Cultural Heritage Tourism: An Innovative Rendezvous of Past Hydraulic Civilization with the Present and Future
• 32 Managing Flood Risk in Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka for Improved Disaster Resilience
• 33 Declining Performance of Village Tanks: A Case Study in Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka
• 34 Socio-Cultural, Ecological, and Legal Perspectives on Small Tank Management in a Cascade System in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
• Section VI Synthesis
• 35 Research, Development, and Conservation Needs for Sustainable Management of Tank Cascade Systems
• Glossary
• Keywords
• Index