Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO)

The Union Environment Minister launched the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO) framework.

About the MEE-ZOO framework

• It is a framework which proposes guidelines, criteria, and indicators for the evaluation of zoos of the country through Management Effectiveness Evaluation Process (MEE-ZOO) in a manner which is discrete, holistic, and independent.
• The assessment criteria and indicators look beyond the traditional concepts, include issues of animal welfare, husbandry and sustainability of resources and finance.
• The MEE-ZOO exercise is moving towards developing highest standards in Zoos across India and adhering to core values of accountability, transparency, innovation, use of technology, collaboration, and integrity to achieve the mandate of conservation of endangered species.

Related Information

• Recently, Union Minister for Environment released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Country.

About the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Country

• At present, India has a network of 903 Protected Areas in the country covering about 5% of the total geographic area of the country.
• In order to assess the efficacy of Protected Areas, evaluation of management effectiveness is required.
• Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Protected Areas (PAs) has emerged as a key tool for Protected Area managers and is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems.
• The results of the present assessment are encouraging with an overall mean MEE score of 62.01%, which is higher than the global mean of 56%.