This is the 4th lesson of the Three Day Residential Training Workshop on Cascade Water Resources Development and Management prepared for the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project

1. Module Objectives:
After this training, the participants will be able to explain:
 The nature of Tank Cascade Systems in Sri Lanka;
 How the tank cascade system has evolved on dry zone landscape?;
 The important features of tank cascade systems;
 Present status of tank cascade systems in Sri Lanka;
 The contemporary issues found in cascade systems;
 What consequences and constraints experienced by village communities?;
 Why we need to plan water resources development in cascades?
 How we can prepare a water management plan for a cascade?
 Why we need participation of communities in cascade development and management? and
 Roles and responsibilities of implementing partners in cascade development and management
Three Day Residential Training Workshop on
Cascade Water Resources Development and Management
P.B. Dharmasena
Lesson 4 - Eco-system services of cascades

2. Lesson 4 - Eco-system services of cascades
Lesson 4 Objective:
After this training session, the
participants will be able to
explain:
• Benefits of restoring village tank
ecosystems; and
• How to restore the ecosystems
through a participatory approach

3. CONTENT
Topic Description
1 Ecosystem services and
functions
Benefits of ecosystems, regulating, supporting,
provisioning and cultural
2 Regulating services Drought, flood, cyclone, epidemics
3 Supporting services Nutrients, habitats, ecosystem sustainability
4 Provisioning services Food, fruits and vegetables, timber fuel wood etc.,
materials for cottage industries, animal feed,
medicine, bio-pesticides
5 Cultural services Recreation and mental and physical health, aesthetic
appreciation, spiritual experience, agro-ecotourism
6 Restoration of tank
ecosystems
Participatory planning, awareness and training,
planting campaigns
7 Discussion
Lesson 4 - Eco-system services of cascades

4. Ecosystem Functions/Services
•Ecosystem Functions/Services are the conditions
and processes through which natural ecosystems and
the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill
human life.
•Biophysical necessities for human life provided by
natural ecosystems
•Functions provide goods and services
•Currently threatened by most human activities
•Important (but new) conservation tool
1. Ecosystem services and functions

5. •Cover a wide range of
processes and scales
• Global scale
• Carbon sequestration
• Global warming
• Landscape scale
• Water purification
• Erosion prevention
• Community scale
• Crop pollination
• Pest control
• Field, plot or individual person
scale
• Local nutrient levels
• Disease and pest prevention
1. Ecosystem services and functions

6. • The combined activity of soil organisms
results in ecosystem functions that sustain
life on the planet. Ecosystem functions
that generate benefits to society have been
defined as ecosystem services. The
centrality of belowground biodiversity to
global sustainability is because soil
organisms of different types, shapes and
colours are responsible for different
ecological functions…
• Complex
• Dynamic
• Interact
• Multiple within an ecosystem
1. Ecosystem services and functions

7. 1. Ecosystem services and functions

8. Distinguish: ecosystem services and functions
• The terms ‘functions’ and
‘services’ can be
confusing.
• Usually, functions are
considered as the
biological processes
underpinning and
maintaining the
ecosystem, while
ecosystem services are
defined as the direct and
indirect contributions of
an ecosystem to human
well-being
1. Ecosystem services and functions

9. Step 1: Classification of Services
Different approaches
A) Approach - 1
• Supporting
• Provisioning
• Regulating
• Cultural
B) Approach - 2
• Regulation functions
• Habitat functions
• Production functions
• Information functions
C) Approach - 3
• Provision of production inputs (inputs from
environment)
• Sustaining plant and animal life (life
support services)
• Provision of existence value (Amenity
services)
• Provision of option value (future services)
1. Ecosystem services and functions

10. Approach – 1
1. Supporting
– Nutrient cycling
– Soil formation
– Primary
production
2. Provisioning
– Food
– Wood
– Fresh water
– Fuel
3. Regulating
• Climate regulation
• Flood prevention
• Disease prevention
• Water purification
4. Cultural
• Aesthetic
• Spiritual
• Recreational
• Educational
1. Ecosystem services and functions

11. Approach - 2
1. Regulation functions – Maintenance of essential
ecological processes and life support systems.
• gas regulation (UVB regulation, climate, air quality)
• climate regulation (maintaining favorable climate)
• disturbance prevention (Storm prevention, flood
prevention)
• water regulation (drainage, natural irrigation)
• water supply (provision of water for consumptive
use)
• soil retention (maintenance of arable land)
• soil formation (maintenance of productivity)
• nutrient regulation (maintenance of healthy soils)
• waste treatment (pollution control – detox)
• Pollination (pollination of crops)
• biological control (control of pests and diseases
1. Ecosystem services and functions

12. 2. Habitat functions
• Refugium function (maintaining harvested species)
• Nursery function
3. Production services
• food – conversion of solar energy into edible plants and
animals, food and energy
• raw materials
• genetic resources (drugs and pharmaceuticals)
• medicinal resources (drugs and pharmaceuticals – and others)
• Ornamental resources (resources for fashion, etc)
4. Information functions
• Aesthetic value (enjoyment of scenery)
• Recreation (travel to natural ecosystems)
• Cultural and artistic information (use of nature as a motive)
• Spiritual and historic information (use for religious purpose)
• Science and education (use for schools)
Approach – 2 (contd….)
1. Ecosystem services and functions

13. Step 2: Identification
• Identify what species and processes are
required to perform each service
• Depends on the ecosystem
• Scale issues
• Separability
Step 3: Valuation
• Value the importance of those services using
economic evaluation
• E.g. the value of carbon sequestration
• Different methods for different services
1. Ecosystem services and functions

14. Landscape of aVillage –Tank System
1. Ecosystem services and functions

15. 1. Ecosystem services and functions

16. Drought – water
storage, reduced
seepage and
evaporation, clean
water
Flood – rainwater
absorption, excess
water drainage,
flow regulatory
mechanism
Cyclone –
gasgommana,
kattakaduwa, tis-
bambe, forest
Epidemics –
malaria, water
purification, waste
recycling
2. Regulating services

17. Nutrients – tis-
bambe, gan-goda
landa, mee tree
Habitats–
kattakaduwa,
gasgommana
perahana, wew
thawula
3. Supporting services

18. Cottage
industry –
materials from
kattakaduwa
Consumables – food,
fruits, vegetable from
kattakaduwa,
gasgommana and wewa
Materials – timber, fuel
wood, farm implement,
household implement
Others – medicine,
bio-pesticides,
animal feed
4. Provisioning services

19. Recreation and
mental and physical
health - Agricultural
landscapes recreational
opportunities
Aesthetic appreciation
and inspiration for
culture, art and design
Spiritual experience and
sense of place - Natural
heritage, spiritual sense of
belonging, traditional
knowledge, and associated
customs.
Tourism -Farm
tourism allowing
urbanites to reconnect
with nature.
5. Cultural services

20. Participatory planning
• Field visits to identify tank ecosystem
components
• Discussion with village champions
(experienced adults who have special skills)
• Social mapping with selected active
villagers
• SWOT analysis (Strength, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats)
• Assessment of restoration needs
• Participatory tank restoration planning
• Identification of risks and assumptions
• Identification of training needs
6. Restoration of tank ecosystems

21. Awareness and training
6. Restoration of tank ecosystems
• Field visits to tank cascade systems
• Awareness on the importance of
tank cascade systems and
ecosystems
• Field identification of regulating
services
• Field identification of supporting
services
• Field identification of provisioning
services
• Field identification of cultural
services
• Training on tank ecosystem
restoration

22. Planting campaigns
• Planning planting programmes
• Identification of list of plant
species
• Collection of plants from
available agencies
• Establishment of village
nurseries
• Awareness for school children
• Conducting planting
campaigns
6. Restoration of tank ecosystems