Nagarjunasagar -Srisailam Tiger Reserve

About Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in the Nallamala hill ranges (offshoot of the Eastern Ghats) of Andhra Pradesh and spreads across the undivided districts of Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool.
• It attained the status of a Tiger Reserve in 1983.
• This is the largest tiger reserve in the country spreading over an area of 5937 Sq. Km.
• The Krishna River cuts the basin of this reserve.
• Flora: The forests are mostly Southern tropical dry mixed deciduous forest. A wide variety of grass- bamboo etc. and medicinal plants also grow in this area.
• Fauna: Top faunal species include:- Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Wild Dog and Jackal and others includes Sambar, Chital, Chowsingha, Chinkara, Mouse Deer etc. It has recorded the presence of 73 of the 75 big cats in the State.

What is MEE Rating?

• According to the Wildlife Institute of India, MEE is defined as the assessment of how well protected areas are being managed. Primarily, whether they are protecting their values and achieving the goals and objectives agreed upon.
• The ratings are assigned in four categories - Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
• The criteria or indicators of for assessing India’s Protected Areas has been adopted from IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas framework of MEE.
• The government has been using the MEE to assess tiger reserves across the country since its inception in 2006.
• Out of the 53 tiger reserves notified at present, only 51 tiger reserves covering a total area of 73,765 square kilometers have been assessed in this 5^th cycle.
• The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala gets Top Rank in this cycle.