Current Affairs PDF

Prakash Javadekar releases Management Effectiveness Evaluation of 146 NP & WLS, 2018-19

AffairsCloud YouTube Channel - Click Here

AffairsCloud APP Click Here

India's First Annual Ranking Of 146 National Parks & Wildlife SanctuariesOn 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 & WLSStateScore
Tirthan WLSHimachal Pradesh84.17
Great Himalayan NPHimachal Pradesh84.17
Sainj WLSHimachal Pradesh82.50
Raiganj WLSWest Bengal81.03
Jaldapara NPWest Bengal80.83

Bottom Scored NPs & WLS:

NP & WLSStateScore
Turtle WLSUttar Pradesh26.66
Khaparwas WLSHaryana29.17
Ramsagar WLSRajasthan29.31
Pani-Dihing Bird WLSAssam31.66
Jai Prakash Narayan (Surhatal) Bird
WLS
Uttar Pradesh31.67

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