Suruchi P.

We have often read that Pench and Kanha rank at the top in India’s Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of parks, but we rarely stop to think why this is so. Let’s discuss this today. In the MEE list, Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha, Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves located in the Satpura landscape consistently lead. The main reason is their long and stable history. India’s first voluntary village relocation began in Kanha. Today, Kanha’s core area is almost entirely free from human and domestic cattle interference. The leadership here has consistently been hardworking and deeply committed to wildlife. Officers have also enjoyed relatively longer tenures, which allowed management plans to continue without frequent disruption. In other words, systematic and planned work could actually be carried out. In the same way, Pench saw strong conservation efforts with a solid framework starting from the 1990s. This created a favourable environment for tigers to thrive. Buffer management in both parks has also been of a very high standard. These two parks are connected by a strong corridor. The corridor is divided into several smaller sanctuaries, each with its own management system. Good connectivity ensures continuous movement of tigers and gene flow, which automatically improves the security of the meta-population without requiring extra effort. In this landscape, corridor pressure is relatively low, and the habitat is also favourable for the prey base. Kanha and Pench forests have good grasslands and reliable availability of clean water. In contrast, the remaining parks face serious challenges. In Bandhavgarh, the corridors have been disturbed due to mining, and tiger deaths due to electrocution are common. As a result, tiger dispersal is neither comfortable nor safe. In Panna, recovery after the reintroduction of tigers has been remarkable and exemplary, but various construction projects in the surrounding areas continue to disturb wildlife. I believe the parameters of the MEE survey should be made stricter, and officers of every park should be held accountable for fulfilling those standards. At the same time, the government should also refrain from disturbing the corridors and buffer areas connected to these forest landscapes. #besttigerreserve #wildlifemanagement #nationalparkmanagement #kanhatigerreserve #penchtigerreserve #bandhavgarhtigerreserve