<i>St. Martin's Island</i>
www.sos-arsenic.net
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA) has been working on the legal aspects for preservation of the environment and has also accomplished significant tasks in this field. The recent news in your newspaper (DS 19-04-2008, pg. 2) regarding BELA serving legal notices against illegal structures in St. Martin's Island attracted my attention. The structures in St. Martin's Island were not constructed overnight. The foundations of some of the structures were laid as early as 1996 even before the Island was declared as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 1999. Most of the construction took place during 1997 to 2004. Thereafter with the growing concern and discussion about the fate of these structures slowed the construction spree. At present the government authorities are not allowing any further concrete construction by the outsiders who have bought land in the island. However, to avoid the present restriction on construction local people in partnerships with outsider businessmen started to make edifices on their own. Further, the local people are in favour of building structures as they will be benefited monetarily. In my article on this construction issue in St. Martin's Island (DS: 05042008), I raised the question whether restriction on construction will help save the island's biodiversity while other factors responsible for habitat degradation, biodiversity loss continue unabated. In another gazette notification right after the declaration of the ECAs in 1999, it was mentioned that St. Martin's Island is to be promoted as an exclusive tourism area. When tourism has to be promoted construction of hotels/motels is necessary. But this has to be regulated according to the management plan (MP). The management plan was developed by the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MOEF) in 1997 but the tragedy is that it was not followed. The MP clearly demarcated areas for general use, core protected areas, buffer areas, sea turtle sanctuary and coral sanctuary. Moreover, land was also acquired south of Diar Matha including the Cheradia by the MOEF for establishment of a protected marine park. The general use area, in the north, could have been managed properly to promote responsible tourism but things have got out of hands now as hotels/cottages have been built in strategic locations all over the island including buffer and core sanctuary areas. However, expansion of the structural facilities have halted but may erupt any time unless stern measures, guidelines and presence of an authoritative institution are there to monitor the development of tourism in the island. Further, the authorities should also come up with models of eco-friendly accommodation facilities that the entrepreneurs and locals could follow to publicize responsible, community-based tourism, if tourism has to be promoted!
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