MP's Satpura Tiger Reserve stands first in state, second in country for better wildlife management

Narmadapuram (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 11 : Madhya Pradesh's Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) stood first in the state and second in the country for better wildlife management in the recent fifth cycle report of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the fifth cycle report of MEE in Mysore, Karnataka on Sunday on the completion of 50 years of Tiger Reserve in India.

The MEE has been used for assessing the tiger conservation efforts in the country since 2006. Since then, the Tiger Reserves has gone through repeated cycles of evaluation after every four years. The MEE exercise, adopted from International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' (IUCN's) World Commission on Protected Areas framework, has emerged as the most significant approach to help and enhance the management perspectives of Tiger Reserves and their associated landscape connectivity.

This framework includes consideration of design issues, the adequacy and appropriateness of management systems and processes and the delivery of Tiger Reserves objectives including conservation of values.

India is the only country in the world that has institutionalised the MEE process. It has successfully completed five cycles of MEE of Tiger Reserve in the country.

Out of 51 tiger reserves evaluated in India, STR has secured the second position at the national level followed by Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. STR has achieved the position due to the better cooperation and management of the entire team. Periyar Tiger Reserve received a MEE score 94.38 % while Satpura Tiger Reserve secured 93.18 % score.

Besides, Bandipur in Karnataka stood at third position with the same MEE score 93.18%, Nagarhole in Karnataka at fourth position with MEE score 92.42% and Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh stood at first with 91.67 %.

Deputy Director of STR region, Sandeep Fellows, said, "All this has been achieved due to better management and with efforts of the entire team. Each and every employee of the STR regions has contributed to this achievement."

The report said, "There has been continuous improvement with the subsequent cycles of evaluation in the MEE score of Tiger Reserves in India. The overall mean MEE score in the second cycle in 2010 was 65%, 69% in the third cycle in 2014, and 70% in the fourth cycle of evaluation in 2018 and 77.92% in the present assessment."

"In the 5th cycle there are 12 Tiger Reserves that have scored 90% and above and therefore a new category of

"Excellent" has been added," the report added.

The report further adds that substantial improvements in the subsequent cycles of MEE clearly demonstrates that there is an enhanced management efficiency in the Tiger Reserves over the years in terms of complying with the prescriptions proposed in the Tiger Conservation Plans.