Abstract:
Tank cascade systems play a pivotal role in maintaining ecological dynam-
ics. However, persistent mishandling of these tanks has led to an unsustainable future.
Community awareness of various ecosystem services provided by the cascade system
is important to formulate an effective strategy for environmental conservation
through community involvement. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the com-
munity awareness levels on ecosystem services of minor tank ecosystems in Siwala-
kulama cascade, Galenbidunuwewa Divisional Secretariat Division, Sri Lanka. Pri-
mary data were collected through a questionnaire survey using randomly selected
hundred (100) farmers. The questionnaire tested the awareness of ecosystem services
under the subcategories of provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services
provided by the tank cascades. The findings indicated that the community possesses
substantial awareness (>50%) solely in relation to provisioning services, except for
the conservation of genetic resources (15%). None of the tested regulatory services
and cultural services had more than 50% awareness. As for supportive services, the
capacity to secure livelihood is the sole service known to the majority (66%). Results
elicited that the community has very poor awareness of mandatory regulatory services
such as carbon sequestration ability (15%), climate regulation ability, pollination, and
natural disaster mitigation (11%). A similar trend was observed for supportive ser-
vices like the maintenance of the local ecosystem (19%), nutrient recycling (18%),
and water cycle management (11%), where awareness was notably low. Cultural ser-
vices were reported as the most unknown component of the ecosystem services of the
tank cascade system. For instance, cultural services of spiritual value (11%), (11%)
opportunity for recreation and tourism (11%) therapeutic value (11%) are the least
known services. In conclusion, community awareness is more focused only on pro-
visioning services though the other components also play a crucial role in sustaining
the stability and productivity of agroecosystems. Therefore, it is essential to deliver
well-structured awareness programs aiming at conveying the significance of all as-
pects of ecosystem services provided by the tank and their interconnection with the
village tanks to promote the sustainable utilization of these services.
