17 hours ago
Kerala tops the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of national parks and protected areas
The effective management practices followed in the National Parks (NP) and Protected Areas (PA) of Kerala has won the State the top position in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for 2020-2025.
Kerala was the only State to get a 'Very Good' rating with a score of 76.22%. Karnataka (74.24), Punjab (71.74), and Himachal Pradesh (71.36) came next with 'Good' rating, according to the report.
The Eravikulam NP (ENP) of Kerala and Dachigam NP in Jammu and Kashmir emerged as the highest-scoring individual PAs with a MEE score of 92.97% each.
The Mathikettan Shola National Park of Kerala was among the 'other well-managed sites' with a score of 90.63%, according to the report. Kerala has 21 protected areas to its credit.
Incidentally, the ENP is one of the 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats, which were declared as a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO for its Outstanding Universal Value in 2012.
The MEE score is calculated after a 'comprehensive assessment of various factors, including the performance and management of these protected areas over time.' As many as 438 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries were assessed during the 2020-2025 cycle, according to the Ministry.
Chandigarh (85.16%) emerged as the topper among the Union Territories whereas Ladakh (34.9%) was the only region categorised as 'Poor.'
The Mathikettan Shola National Park is spread over an area of 12.82 sq. Km and an important part of an elephant corridor. It is also the only known habitat of the unique Galaxy Frog. The assessment reported noted that very little information was available on the Galaxy Frog, and systematic ecological monitoring was not currently in place.
The ENP has an area of 97 sq. km and represents one of the largest contiguous Shola-grassland biomes in the high ranges of the southern Western Ghats. It is home to one of the last remaining populations of the Nilgiri Tahr as well as about 20 species of Strobilanthes, including the renowned Neelakurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus), which flowers once every 12 years.
The recommendations for the protected area include adding the adjoining areas from the Kottayam Division to the PA, improving eco-tourism facilities, removing exotic and invasive species from the PA, and soliciting support from scientific institutions, NGOs, and local conservationists for ecological monitoring and awareness generation.
