St Martin’s Island
3 fined in maiden drive to save environment
In its maiden initiative to preserve the country’s only coral island, the Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday fined two organisations and an individual Tk 16.5 lakh for damaging the ecology of St Martin’s Island.
According to the DoE, Hotel Blue Marine, Carey Limited and Major (retd) Sohel Rana were “building illegal structures and boundary walls, digging wells and grinding stones” in Coral Preservation Zones of the island and were penalised for their actions.
“These activities have been damaging the flora and fauna of the island, making its environment more vulnerable to the climate changes,” the statement read.
Although, St Martin’s Island has been announced as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 1999, bringing it under an umbrella, as a protected zone, this was the first time the government stepped up to preserve the natural ecosystem of the island.
DoE’s monitoring and enforcement wing led by Muhammed Munir Chowdhury, conducted the drive in the Shilabuniyagola and Badambuniya areas of the island on Monday.
The team, with assistance from local Coastal and Wetlands Biodiversity Management Project (CWBMP) officials, identified and evicted several illegal structures and brought down a number of pillars surrounding an area of 55 acres at the coral preservation zone near the beach.
The team also confiscated a large amount of timber, tiles and bathroom fittings stored in the area to complete the illegal structures and seized four tonnes of coral stones and five tonnes of crushed stones.
Due to the recent wave in tourism, St Martin’s Island has experienced a surge of real estate projects which can bring dire consequences to the ecology of the island, according to environmental experts.
Many exotic marine species including the critically endangered Olive Ridley turtles visit the island every winter in shoals to lay eggs.
The island was announced as an ECA in 1999 under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act (BECA), 1995.
