On January 11, 2021, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Prakash Javadekar released the ‘Management Effectiveness Evaluation(MEE) of 146 National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in India, 2018-19’ report.
Great Himalayan NP & Tirthan WLS of Himachal Pradesh Scored high and topped among the National Parks(NP) & Wild Life Santuaries(WLS).
i.MEE is a framework for testing the effectiveness of Protected Areas in India.
ii.The report has been prepared by MoEFCC with technical inputs from Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
iii.The report listed Top 5 National Parks (NPs) & Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) based on MEE score in India
iv.The results of present assessment are encouraging with overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.
- The ratings are assigned in four categories, as Poor – upto 40%; Fair – 41 to 59%; Good  – 60 to 74%; Very Good – 75% and above.
Top Scored NPs & WLS:
| NP & WLS | State | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tirthan WLS | Himachal Pradesh | 84.17 |
| Great Himalayan NP | Himachal Pradesh | 84.17 |
| Sainj WLS | Himachal Pradesh | 82.50 |
| Raiganj WLS | West Bengal | 81.03 |
| Jaldapara NP | West Bengal | 80.83 |
Bottom Scored NPs & WLS:
| NP & WLS | State | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Turtle WLS | Uttar Pradesh | 26.66 |
| Khaparwas WLS | Haryana | 29.17 |
| Ramsagar WLS | Rajasthan | 29.31 |
| Pani-Dihing Bird WLS | Assam | 31.66 |
| Jai Prakash Narayan (Surhatal) Bird WLS | Uttar Pradesh | 31.67 |
Key from Javadekar’s Address:
i.At present India has a network of 903 Protected Areas in the Country, which covers 5% of total geographic area of the country.
ii.India is home to 70% of Global Tiger Population, 70% of Asiatic Lions & more than 60% of Leopards Population.
iii.From 2021, the Government will rank & award Top 10 best NPs, 5 Coastal & Marine Park & Top 5 Zoos each year.
iv.He also launched MEE of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO) framework for evaluation of Zoos in India.
- A new framework for MEE of Marine Protected Areas has also been jointly prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and MoEF&CC.
MEE report 2018-19:
i.The MEE is based on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) framework of MEE.
ii.MEE is based on 30 Indicators like Assessment of Threats, Management Plan, Habitat Restoration, Threat abatement and others.
iii.MEE will
- Enable & support an adaptive approach to management
- Assist in effective resource allocation
- Promote Accountability & Transparency
- Help involve the community and build constituencies
- Promote the values of NP & WLS
iv.The report states that
- Eastern Region of India presents the highest overall mean MEE Score of 66.12% & the Northern region represents the lowest mean MEE score of 56%.
- Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was the worst performer in the survey.
Protected Areas in India:
i.India has systematically designed its Protected Areas in 4 categories under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- National Parks
- Wildlife Sanctuaries
- Conservation Reserves
- Community Reserves
ii.Under the Wildlife Protection Act, there are 903 Protected Areas – 101 NPs, 553 WLS, 86 Conservation Reserves & 163 Community Reserves.
Click here to read more about the MEE, 2018-19
Recent Related News:
i.On December 7, 2020, CZA granted recognition to 2 New Zoos – Rajgir Zoo Safari in Nalanda, Bihar & Shaheed Ashfaque Ullah Khan Prani Udyaan in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
ii.On December 21, 2020, MoEFCC, Prakash Javadekar released the ‘Status of Leopards in India, 2018’ report.
About MoEFCC:
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar
Minister of State – Babul Supriyo
About Wildlife Institute of India (WII):
WII is an Autonomous Institution of MoEFCC
Chairman – R.P. Gupta (Secretary of Environment, Forest and Climate Change)
Location – Dehradun, Uttarakhand
