Researchers have studied various aspects of the ancient civilization of Sri Lanka and probed deeply into the subject of village tank clusters (tank cascade systems) during the last 4 decades. A wealth of information was gathered and the knowledge of many components has been updated. This book brings you this updated information. The author brings new definitions of tank cascade systems and cascade ecology.The book begins with the historical perspective and moves on to explain various aspects, step by step, such as geography, geology and geomorphology, soil and climate, surface and groundwater, traditional agriculture and water management, flora and fauna, recent studies and the restoration of cascade ecology.The book will interest geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, archaeologists, ecologists, and historians. Specifically, university lecturers, students and researchers will find interest in these pages and may utilize the content to prepare their study materials.
Dr P. B. Dharmasena graduated from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, where he studied physics, chemistry and mathematics. He earned a Master's in agricultural engineering in 1982 from the same university. He obtained a postgraduate diploma in soil science from the Agricultural University of Norway in 1983. He specialized in soil erosion and conservation of dry zone soils and obtained his doctoral degree in 1992 from, again, the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Dr Dharmasena worked in the Department of Agriculture in Sri Lanka for around 30 years as a researcher on soil and water management. He conducted research on village tank hydrology, soil conservation, conservation farming, rainwater harvesting, groundwater hydrology, traditional farming, and ecological agriculture. He has authored more than 80 publications, and after retirement in 2006, he has worked as a consultant in various UN Agencies, the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, and other NGOs for last 18 years. He served as a visiting lecturer since 2013 at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.
