St Martin's Island: Before and after 6 months without tourists

There is neither a familiar tourist bustle nor a crowd at the jetty. As you start walking along one end of the beach, all you see is the vast blue expanse of water and waves crashing ashore with white foam on their heads. Looking at this scene through the drooping leaves of rows of coconut trees, it felt as if a piece of paradise had been created in the middle of the sea.

The ban on tourist travel remains in place, while the impact of the monsoon has further limited the islanders’ movement outside the island. In such an isolated environment, St Martin’s nature has come alive again. This correspondent recently visited the island with the administration’s permission to see the changes and learn about the lives of its residents.

As soon as this correspondent arrived, it became apparent that the government’s strict restrictions and limits on tourists over the past two and a half years have brought remarkable changes to the island’s environment and biodiversity. Fruits and flowers hang from the keya (pandanus tectorius) forests, seagulls have gathered along the beach, and red crabs, snails and shells can be seen moving across the sandy shore. There was also activity at the hatchery where turtle eggs are incubated on the beach.

But there is another side to the island. The lives of most residents who depend on tourism have been affected by the ban or restrictions. Not only has their additional income during the tourist season stopped, but many are also unable to go fishing in the sea because of adverse weather. Although they are happy with the various measures taken by the government to protect the island’s environment, they are frustrated because no alternative sources of income have been arranged.

St Martin’s Union has nine wards with a population of 10,700. Of them, more than 5,000 are fishermen, farmers, small traders, shopkeepers and day labourers. Half of the island’s 1,500 families live in shanties. On 8 and 9 August, this correspondent spoke with 120 people from 12 villages on the island. All of them support the policies for environmental conservation, but they are angry about their own plight.

On the afternoon of 8 August, local fisherman Abdul Shukkur was standing on the island’s eastern beach with a fishing rod. His home is in the Galachipa area of the island. He has been supporting his family by fishing for 32 years. During the fishing ban season and the period when tourists are prohibited from visiting, he has little work.

At one time, tourists would stay on the island for five months. Tourists would arrive by trawler throughout the year to stay at hotels and motels. As a result, he could earn a good income by running a shop and driving a van. Now that all of this has stopped, he said he is unable to support his family.

According to him, the situation is the same for all fishermen on the island. Besides, the sea is now rough almost all the time. As a result, they cannot even take their boats into the deep sea. Even when large fish are caught, there are not enough people in the market to buy them. When the weather is bad, the fish cannot even be sent to Teknaf.

Shukkur, 54, said that there has been little fish in the sea over the past three months. Speaking in the regional dialect of Chattogram, he expressed his frustration at length. A brief translation of his words would be: “The government has said that the island must be saved. We are the children of this island, and we do not want it to be destroyed. But there is no food in our stomachs. Even when we cast nets in the sea, we catch no fish. I can no longer support my family of eight. Nothing adds up anymore.”

After 5 August 2024, the interim government restricted tourist access to St Martin’s Island. According to the government decision, from 1 December to 31 January, up to 2,000 tourists will be allowed to visit St Martin’s Island each day through online registration. Tourists will be allowed to stay overnight on the island for two months, January and February, but no overnight stays will be allowed in November. Visitors will have to return to Cox’s Bazar on the same day. According to this arrangement, 237,000 tourists visited St Martin’s Island over the past two tourist seasons (six months). Three years ago, 1–1.5 million people visited the island during the five-month-long tourist season.

Speaking to environmental organisations, civil society representatives and people from different professions, it was learned that at least 5,000 people from various professions on the island have become unemployed due to the restrictions on tourists. More than 230 hotels, resorts and cottages on the island remain closed for the remaining nine months of the year, resulting in 3,000 people losing their jobs. At least 1,000 families used to make a living by renting out more than 400 easy bikes, over 300 motorcycles and more than 250 bicycles. With no tourists, these families are also struggling financially. However, there are no alternative sources of income for the island’s residents.

Island businessman Nur Mohammad, 50, said that at one time his shop used to remain crowded with tourists from morning until night. His shop has been closed for several months. As a result, he is struggling to support his family.

In this regard, Jamir Uddin, director of the Department of Environment's Chattogram regional office, said that several projects worth Tk a billion are underway on the island, including projects to address the drinking water crisis, sterilise stray dogs to prevent their breeding, manage waste, generate fuel and electricity from waste, carry out afforestation and conserve biodiversity. If the projects are completed before November, the crisis faced by the island’s residents will be resolved.

On 8 August, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam visited St Martin’s Island. During the visit, many residents shared the extent of their hardships with him.

Acting chairman of St Martin’s Union Parishad, Foyezul Islam, also raised the same issue with the state minister.

He demanded that tourists be allowed to stay overnight on the island for four months, from November to February.

In this regard, State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam told Prothom Alo that he would announce a decision on allowing tourists to stay overnight for at least three months.

The island’s trees are bearing fruit. New seedlings are growing. With the movement of motorised vehicles on the beach stopped, the spread of king crabs, snails, shells and algae has increased. The movement of various species of birds in the keora forests and piles of rocks has also increased, after having almost disappeared under the pressure of tourists.

According to local people from different professions, there has been significant improvement in the island’s environment and pollution control as a result of limiting tourists and raising awareness.

One of the organisations working to restore the island’s environment is the Youth Environment Society. Ibrahim Khalil Mamun, executive officer of the organisation, said that the reduction in tourist numbers has restored a suitable environment for mother turtles to lay eggs on St Martin’s. In the first year, 3,000 turtle eggs were collected, and in the second year, more than 7,000 eggs were collected, with hatchlings produced at hatcheries and released into the sea. Previously, stray dogs would eat the turtle eggs. Now, a private organisation is providing food once a day to 3,000 hungry dogs. As a result, the turtle eggs are being protected.

A Tk 89 million project titled ‘Adaptation Project to Address the Impact of Biodiversity and Climate Change on St Martin’s Island’ is underway on the island.

Kamrul Hasan, project director and an official of the Department of Environment, said that corals and algae are spreading at Cheradia, Goldia and Diarmatha on the island. Numerous snails and shells are clinging to the algae and limestone surfaces. Mangroves have emerged on the sand dunes. The presence of various animals, including frogs, snakes, lizards and butterflies, is increasing in the mangrove forests, which was not the case three years ago.

Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan said that the government’s 12 directives issued to protect St Martin’s biodiversity are being strictly implemented. Over the past two years, tourists have travelled to and from St Martin’s on several ships from Cox’s Bazar. Preparations are underway to construct a modern jetty at the Sabrang Tourism Park in Teknaf to make travel easier for tourists. Once the jetty becomes operational, travel time and the difficulties faced by tourists will be reduced.

Despite all these measures, St Martin’s Island is still not out of danger. The island is bearing the adverse impacts of climate change. As the water level of the Bay of Bengal rises, the sand dunes on the northern, western and southern sides of the island are rapidly disappearing during the rough monsoon season. Hundreds of coconut trees are being uprooted as their roots loosen due to coastal erosion.

That is not all. The freshwater reserves beneath the island are gradually declining, while saline water is increasingly taking their place. As a result, the islanders are facing a severe shortage of drinking water. Fish are also no longer as abundant in the sea as they once were. On one hand, nature’s fury; on the other, the suspension of tourism—the lives of fishermen and farmers are now completely devastated.