The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the sixth cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves in India (MEE-TR), a systematic assessment of how well India’s 58 tiger reserves are being managed to meet conservation goals. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) are jointly organising the exercise, which will evaluate all tiger reserves across the country.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated an inception workshop in New Delhi to kick off the evaluation process. He highlighted that India has set aside more than 85,000 square kilometres for tiger conservation and called for conservation practices tailored to local conditions and the needs of surrounding communities.
Key facts
- 58 tiger reserves across India will be evaluated in the 6th cycle
- India has demarcated over 85,000 sq km for tiger conservation
- Five previous MEE cycles completed in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, covering 28 to 51 tiger reserves
- Technical Manual for MEE-TR 2026 released during the workshop
- Solid Waste Management introduced as a new separate evaluation criterion
- Assessment framework covers 10 components including tiger and prey conservation, habitat management, tourism management and landscape connectivity
What is Management Effectiveness Evaluation?
MEE-TR is a structured, evidence-based process that examines whether a tiger reserve’s management actions and resources are effectively achieving conservation objectives. It looks at planning adequacy, resources allocated, management systems in place, and whether these efforts are producing the desired conservation results. India adapted this framework from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines.
The evaluation framework assesses six core elements: the reserve’s context and surroundings, planning documents, inputs such as staff and funding, actual management processes, outputs or actions taken, and conservation outcomes or results achieved.
How the 6th cycle differs from previous evaluations
The new evaluation cycle strengthens focus on field-based evidence, actual conservation outcomes, emerging threats, and use of digital and spatial data. It also introduces continuous improvement as an ongoing principle.
A major addition is the inclusion of Solid Waste Management as a separate evaluation criterion. This will assess how tiger reserves manage waste streams, including waste from forest staff quarters, waste from tourism activities, and biomedical waste from wildlife rescue centres within the reserves.
Ten components to be assessed
The evaluation will examine tiger and prey species conservation, habitat management, protection against wildlife crime, wildlife monitoring and health assessments, fire and disaster management, human-wildlife coexistence measures, community engagement practices, tourism management, landscape connectivity, and management planning and resource allocation.
Who will conduct the evaluation and how
Independent multidisciplinary teams will undertake field-based assessments at each tiger reserve. These teams will identify management strengths, areas where improvements are needed, and gaps in conservation efforts. The evaluation will provide a basis for prioritising which management actions and resources should be focused where.
Environment Minister Yadav stressed that evaluations should be guided by scientific rigour, compassion and values. He called for local ecological and sociological experts to contribute to the evaluation process, and recommended involving local youth in the exercise. He also emphasised the need for area-based assessment of human-wildlife conflict and measurable conservation outcomes.
What this means for you
Citizens living near or working in tiger reserves may see changes in how waste is managed, how human-wildlife conflicts are addressed, and how tourism is regulated within these protected areas. The evaluation results will guide future conservation spending and policies. Students and researchers interested in wildlife conservation can access the assessment framework and technical manual to understand how India evaluates its most important tiger habitats.
The MEE process demonstrates India’s commitment to evidence-based wildlife management. By assessing all 58 reserves systematically, the government aims to ensure that conservation efforts are effective, locally appropriate, and continuously improving.