Strict measures in St. Martin to protect biodiversity
Tourists are travelling to St. Martin Island following strict restrictions. Polythene use, collecting marine animals like coral, holding barbecue parties, and making noise at night on the beach are all strictly prohibited.
Tourists coming to the island also had to be monitored for this. Tourists are also happy with such measures to protect the biodiversity of this eight-kilometer-long coral-rich island.
After a long wait, a tourist ship left for St. Martin on December 1. The MV Bar Aulia was transporting a total of 653 tourists.
They were allowed to board the ship after completing online registration as per government rules. Among these, 355 tourists were granted permission to stay overnight. The rest returned during the day.
Although the government decided to operate tourist ships on the Teknaf-St. Martin and Cox’s Bazar-St. Martin waterways from November 1, tourists have not been able to visit St. Martin Island for so long due to various complications.
Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh, said that the MV Bar Aulia ship departed from Cox’s Bazar for St. Martin’s for the second time on December 2 morning with 644 tourists.
The ship returned to Cox’s Bazar city with the tourists at 5:00 pm on the same date. Two more ships were scheduled to be launched on this sea route on December 3.
The government has decided that 2,000 tourists can travel to St. Martin and stay overnight during December and January. Ship operations will be suspended from February. No tourists will have the opportunity to travel to St. Martin then, said Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin.
Tourists are visiting St. Martin according to guidelines from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
There are 2,000 tourists getting travel passes by completing online registration for two consecutive months until January 31. Strict action will be taken if more tourists go.
Before boarding and disembarking at the Nuniachata BIW Jetty in Cox’s Bazar and St. Martin’s Island, Department of Environment, Bangladesh’s staff check tourists for polythene and single-use plastics.
At this time, the mineral water bottles, polythene, and plastic products in the hands of the tourists are left behind. After the trip to St. Martin’s Island, when boarding the ship, they are searched for coral fragments in their hands or bags. At the same time, tourists are also given an idea of the government restrictions on traveling to St. Martin.
Jamir Uddin, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, stated that polythene and single-use plastics harm the island’s environment, so their use is banned.
The noise and crowding on the beach at night, along with barbecues and lights, harm marine animals like turtles. Therefore, these are also banned.
