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  • Publication | 2021

Ecosystem services assessment in selected agricultural lands in Kandy, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts of Sri Lanka

Global Food and Nutrition Security

Agricultural lands or Agroecosystems use ecosystem services provided by nature and can generate ecosystem services, as well as disservices (negative impacts), for biodiversity and human wellbeing. It is therefore important to understand the kinds of services provided by different types of lands and at various scales so that the flow and availability of such ecosystem services can be properly managed (Garbach et al 2014). The adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices and the preservation of natural ecosystems in agricultural landscapes may reduce the disservices and enhance ecosystem benefits. One of the overall objectives of the Rehabilitation of Degraded Agricultural Lands (RDAL) project by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), in partnership with the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment (MMDE), is to promote the use of sustainable land management practices among farmers in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. In order to do so, this assessment seeks to identify the ecosystem services generated and current land management practices utilised in different agricultural lands of Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy Districts. The findings of this study will thereafter enable the development of appropriate innovative financing mechanisms to encourage SLM practices. This section provides a summary of the four-step approach undertaken for the assessment and the findings.