Hyderabad: Two tiger reserves in Telangana state — Kawal Tiger Reserve and Amrabad Tiger Reserve — have been upgraded to ‘Good’ from their previous ‘Fair’ rating.
According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, management effectiveness evaluation(MEE) is defined as an assessment of how well protected areas are being managed – primarily the extent to which management is protecting values and achieving goals and objectives.
Both tiger reserves in the state, Amrabad Tiger Reserve and Kawal Tiger Reserve, scored 71.09 per cent and 60.16 per cent in MEE ranking with a ‘good’ rating. In the previous year’s rating, both tiger reserves were rated ‘fair’.
Forest Department officials said that the ratings of tiger reserves in the state have been upgraded according to the standards which a tiger reserve is supposed to maintain.
These conditions are: feasible habitat for the wild animal, livelihood conditions in the area provided for the animal, cases of man-animal conflict, protecting forests, and habitat improvement.
The fourth cycle of management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) shows that Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh scored the highest with 93.75 per cent whereas Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu showed the highest increment in management since the last cycle for which the latter was awarded.
