In June 2025, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), unveiled the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) report covering 438 National Parks (NPs) and Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) in India. The report, prepared by MoEFCC, was launched during the Indian Conservation Conference (ICCON) 2025 held at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
- Kerala secured the highest position among all states, achieving a score of 76.22%, becoming the only state rated “Very Good.”
- Chandigarh topped among the Union Territories (UTs) with a score of 85.16%, while Ladakh, with a score of 34.9%, was the only region classified as “Poor.”
About Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE):
i.MEE is a systematic evaluation tool, based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) framework, assessing how well protected areas are administered and conserved.
ii.Introduced in 2006, each cycle involves detailed tracking through 32 headline indicators, covering governance, habitat protection, anti-poaching, and more.
Methodology:
i.The first cycle of MEE assessed 442 NPs and WLS, recording an average score of 60.52%.
ii.The repeat cycle (2020-2025) assessed 438 NPs and WLS, where the average score improved to 64.41% classified as “Good”, indicating better management and sustained conservation efforts.
iii.For the first time, 113 Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (CMPAs) were also evaluated, marking a milestone in expanding conservation frameworks.
Key Findings of MEE Report 2020–2025 :
i.Among 438 PAs assessed, 84 were rated “Very Good,” 214 received a “Good” rating, 122 were classified as “Fair,” and 18 were marked as “Poor.”
ii.Kerala outperformed other states such as Karnataka (74.24%), Punjab (71.74%), and Himachal Pradesh (71.36%), all of which were rated as “Good.”
iii.Among the individual PAs, Eravikulam NP (Kerala) and Dachigam NP (Jammu & Kashmir, J&K) achieved the highest score of 92.97% each.
- Other high-scoring sites included Bandli WLS in Himachal Pradesh (HP) with a score of 92.19%, and Mathikettan Shola NP in Kerala and Daroji Bear WLS in Karnataka, both scoring 90.63%.
iv.Some PAs recorded low scores, such as Ringba-Roba WLS in Arunachal Pradesh (AR), Jai Prakash Narayan Bird WLS in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Pakhi Bitan Bird WLS in West Bengal (WB), and Hemis NP in Ladakh.
Note: Eravikulam NP is among the 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats, which were recognised as a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2012 for their Outstanding Universal Value.
About Indian Conservation Conference (ICCON) 2025:
The ICCON 2025, held from June 25–27, 2025 under the MoEFCC, centered on the theme “Breaking Silos – Bridging Divides – Solving Conservation Issues.”
- During the conference, TechBridge was launched as a platform to showcase cutting-edge wildlife technologies, offering startups, researchers, and field experts a collaborative space to demonstrate innovations in wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching, habitat restoration, and data-driven conservation efforts.
About Wildlife Institute of India (WII):
It is an autonomous body set up in 1982 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Director –Virendra R. Tiwari
Headquarters – Dehradun, Uttarakhand
