Resource Degradation in High Altitude Agro-ecosystems: An Overview of the Ecological Capital Management in Tea Plantations in the Highlands of Uva in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The mountain environment in the Uva región typically called as Uva highlands is characterized by natural forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, plantations, home gardens and non-agricultural lands. Predominant agro-ecosystems are the tea plantations and smallholding cropping systems. However these highlands face rapid degradation of the environment and production resource base. There are unmistakable symptoms of the emerging unsustainability of current patterns of resource use and production practices in mountain agro-ecosystems. The objective of the present study was to examine some aspects of the ecological capital management in tea plantations in the Uva highlands in Sri Lanka.The findings of the study confirmed that the land based management activities were most critical in the plantation tea sector. Most of the plantations are highly prone to erosion causing poor quality soil. Soil organic carbon and the acidity are in critical levels in most of the plantations. The ecological capital management activities have a significant effect on the productivity and the quality of the tea plantations. An Inter estate analysis of the quality of the ecological capital indicated that most of the tea estafes are in the range of marginal value. Long-term management plans have to be implemented in order to make the tea plantations viable. Along with soil conservation activities, replanting and infilling activities have to be accelerated. Ecological capital management strategies need to be restructured for the sustainability of the tea plantations in the highlands of Uva region in Sri Lanka.