Presented as part of the workshop: Can Agroforestry Address Food Security Concerns under a Changing Climate?

1. Tree dominated agriculture for environmental
services and sustainable livelihoods in Sri Lanka
Kamal Melvani, Neo Synthesis Research Centre (NSRC), neosynth@sltnet.lk

2. Outline
• Forest decline and rehabilitation
• Analog forestry, case studies and indicators
a) Coastal forest, Forest gardens, post Tsunami:
Farmer income
b) Forest gardens - degraded catchment:
Birds & farmer income
c) Ex-plantation – drought prone lowlands:
Mammals
• Challenges in evaluating success

3. Sri Lanka is:
• 65,610 km2
• Wet, Intermediate & Dry zones
• Low, Middle & High peneplains
• Central highlands
• Global biodiversity hotspot
• Small, densely populated
island heavily reliant on
agriculture

4. • Forest loss due to colonisation and slash and burn
agriculture
• Closed canopy forests: 84% in 1881 to 29% in 2010
• Home gardens 15% and increasing by 1% annually
Forest decline
Environs of Hakgala Strict Natural reserve

5. Forest restoration
Early efforts were for reclamation:
monocultures of Teak, Pinus and
Eucalyptus
More recent efforts are for rehabilitation
• People integral in community forestry
• Need to address people’s livelihoods –
enrichment in home gardens
In 1982, work began on analog forestry
in Sri Lanka where home gardens were
rehabilitated to forest gardens

6. • Analog Forestry seeks to establish ecosystems
analogous to the architectural structure and
ecological function of the climax vegetation of an area
whilst strengthening rural communities socially and
economically through the use of commercial species.
•
• Design of area to be restored must recognize key
ecological functions to be strengthened and use species
accordingly
•
• Original vegetation is the best reference
•
• Land needs to be restored according to farmer goals
• land can remain in stable state if farmer decides to engage
in annual cropping or move towards maturity if forestry is
the goal

7. Analog Forestry
Agriculture Permaculture Analog Forest Natural forest
Increasing ecological maturity; increasing soil stability,
soil biodiversity and depth of A horizon
Weeds
and
grasses
Woody
shrubs
Small trees and
Woody shrubs
Tall trees
1- 5 years 100- 1000 years  1000 years

8. Some examples of Analog Forestry in Sri Lanka
a) Coastal
restoration
Jan 2005 –
Sep 2010
b) Rehabilitation
of upper
watershed,
Jan 2001 – Feb
2004
c) Demonstration
of drought
adaptation in
lowlands,
June 2001
ongoing…

9. Land on seral continuum can remain stable if farmer
cultivates annual crops or move towards maturity if
forestry is the goal
2011 2012

10. • Densely populated coastline
• Impacted by 2004 Tsunami
a) Coastal Restoration - Kalmunai
Coastal forest
planted
using 6282 trees
& shrubs
(82% native, 18%
introduced).

11. 2008, 3 years after planting
2013, what the forest looks like now
2005, land preparation
2013

12. • Urban, small farm gardens – only Palmyrah & Coconut
• 5,854 trees and shrubs planted in 58 species
(50% native , 50% introduced).
• 23 varieties of vegetables & yams
Farmlands in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami

13. Early forest Gardens

14. Indicator: Income from vegetable sales & household consumption
• Reduced income due to drought conditions
• Value of consumed vegetables 35% of total income
• Inputs given free
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
SLRupees
Time in months
Total Income for 20 farmers, 9 months
Income from Vegetable
Sales
Value of Consumed
vegetables
Average monthly farmer
income pre-tsunami 36,000
SLRupees

15. b) Rehabilitation of Upper catchment
Maragalakanda, Moneragala District • Moist semi & Dry
mixed evergreen
forest
• Cleared for coffee
& rubber
• Encroached -slash
& burn agriculture
• Only Banana &
rainfed annual
crops
• 40,677 plants in 115 species
(8% endemic, 42% native, 50% introduced)
established in 48 forest gardens & riparian buffers
• Project & farmer nurseries to propagate forest species

16. Functional Landscape Design
Food
Medicine
Aesthetics
Soil conservation
Riparian zone
Buffer zones
Covering rocks
Biodiversity corridorsBEFORE
AFTER

17. BEFO
RE
BEFO

18. Biodiversity corridor created

19. Indicators: Birds and Income
Bird Survey carried out by Naren Gunasekera two years after
restoration (2002)
• Detected - seen and heard
• Species assigned forest/non-forest habitat type
• Species richness in habitat types
• Density assemblages in habitat types
Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl - endemic
Farmer income
Survey carried out by NSRC
annually from year one to
four (2000 to 2004)
Red Vented BulbulBrown headed Barbet

20. Detection
Brown capped Babbler, endemic
only forest dwelling
• Average detection frequency higher in
short bands in forest garden plots.
• Average detection frequency higher in
long bands in forest plots.
Bird Survey

21. Bird assemblages
• Red vented bulbul most
abundant in forest garden
• Brown headed Barbet most
abundant in forest plots also
seen in non forest habitats
• Tickell’s Blue Fly Catcher 2nd
most abundant in Forest plots
Tickell’s
Blue Fly
Catcher,
seen in
both
habitats

22. Forest garden Income
Income includes
value of crops sold
and consumed
by household
Pepper is a lucrative
understorey crop that grows
under the pioneer, Gliricidia
SL. Rs.

23. 3. Drought adaptation in the lowlands, Serukele
 Native Dry mixed monsoonal and semi evergreen forest
 Cleared to plant coconut and cashew
 Aging coconut diversified with analog forest
Before

24. After

25. • 8074 plants in 133
species established
(6% endemic,
57% native,
37% introduced)
• Regeneration of
native species
• Habitat recreated for
biodiversity

26. Of 41 species found in Wilpattu National Park,
21 or 50% observed on Munamal Estate
6 species seen daily
1. Schneider’s leaf-nosed Bat
2. Flying Fox
3. Painted Bat
4. Domestic Dog
5. Common Rat
6. Palm Squirrel
21 species seen frequently
1. Grey Slender Loris
2. Jackal
3. Grey Mongoose
4. Black tipped Mongoose
5. Palm Cat
6. Spotted Deer
7. Sri Lanka Mouse Deer
8. Wild Boar
9. Porcupine
10. Indian House Mouse
11. Giant Squirrel
12. Black Naped Hare
3 species seen rarely
1. Sri Lanka Toque Monkey
2. Jungle Cat
3. Ring Tailed Civet
4. Antelope Rat

27. Seen daily
Painted Bat Slender Grey Loris

28. Seen Frequently
Painted Bat
Slender Grey Loris

29. Seen rarely
Antelope rat?
Slender Grey LorisAntelope rat?

30. My challenges in evaluating restoration…
1.What is the real value of home
garden based forest rehabilitation?
social, economic or biophysical
2.Whose assessment finally counts?
farmer, state, academia or corporate
3.Can conventional economic theory
be used in evaluation?
how do you measure success?

31. Thank you!
NSRC
Naren Gunasekera
Prasanna Rajapakshe